The Howe House is an historic house at 6 Appleton Street in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

. The -story wood-frame house was built in 1887 for Lois Lillie (White) Howe, the mother of

Lois Lilley Howe Lois Lilley Howe (September 25, 1864 – September 13, 1964) was an American architect and founder of the first all female architecture firm in Boston, Massachusetts. Biography Howe was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Howe studied at the ...

. Howe had the house built following the death of her husband, Dr. Estes Howe. At the time of the house's construction the younger Howe had not yet begun her education at MIT, and it was designed by the noted firm of

Cabot & Chandler Edward Clarke Cabot (August 17, 1818 – January 5, 1901) was an American architect and artist. Life and career Edward Clarke Cabot was born April 17, 1818, in Boston, Massachusetts to Samuel Cabot Jr. and Eliza (Perkins) Cabot. He was the ...

. After Howe had established herself as an architect she altered the house at least four times, in 1907, 1910 and 1916 and 1935. Architecturally, the house was designed in the Shingle style, but also features elements of the Queen Anne style. The house is principally significant for its association with Howe, one of the first female graduates of the architectural program at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

, and the first woman made fellow of the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...

. Howe initially lived in the house with her mother and sisters. Her mother died in 1911, followed by elder sister Clara Howe in 1923 and half-sister Sarah Lydia Howe in 1929.Cambridge Public Library Historic Cambridge Newspaper Collection
/ref> She then lived alone in the house until 1963, the year before her death. The house was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1983.

References

Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Cambridge, Massachusetts Queen Anne architecture in Massachusetts Houses completed in 1887 {{CambridgeMA-NRHP-stub

See also

References