The Treadwell-Sparks House is an historic house at 21 Kirkland 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 ...
. Built in 1838, it is a good local example of Greek Revival architecture, further notable as the home of historian
Jared Sparks
Jared Sparks (May 10, 1789 – March 14, 1866) was an American historian, educator, and Unitarian minister. He served as President of Harvard College from 1849 to 1853.
Biography
Born in Willington, Connecticut, Sparks studied in the common s ...
. Now owned by
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
, it was moved to its present location in 1968, and is used for professor housing. 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 ...
in 1986.
Description
The Treadwell-Sparks House stands on the north side of Kirkland Street, opposite Harvard's
Memorial Hall
A memorial hall is a hall built to commemorate an individual or group; most commonly those who have died in war. Most are intended for public use and are sometimes described as ''utilitarian memorials''.
History of the Memorial Hall
In the aft ...
. It is a two-story wood-frame structure, with a hip roof and brick chimneys. It is oriented with a sidewall facing the street, and its main facade to the east. The street-facing facade is characterized by unusually wide plain
pilaster
In classical architecture, a pilaster is an architectural element used to give the appearance of a supporting column and to articulate an extent of wall, with only an ornamental function. It consists of a flat surface raised from the main wal ...
s and flushboarding, while the formal front is finished in wooden clapboards. It is roughly square in plan, with three bays on each side.
[
]
History
The house was built, originally on nearby Quincy Street, in 1838 by housewright William Saunders for Harvard Professor Daniel Treadwell
Daniel Treadwell (October 10, 1791 – February 27, 1872) was an American inventor. Amongst his most important inventions are a hemp-spinning machine for the production of cordage, and a method of constructing cannon from wrought iron and steel.
...
. The house was purchased in 1848 by Nathaniel Silsbee
Nathaniel Silsbee (January 14, 1773July 14, 1850) was a ship master, merchant and American politician from Salem, Massachusetts.
Early career
Silsbee was the eldest child of Capt. Nathaniel and Sarah (Becket) Silsbee. At the age of fourteen, ...
for his daughter, who was married to historian Jared Sparks
Jared Sparks (May 10, 1789 – March 14, 1866) was an American historian, educator, and Unitarian minister. He served as President of Harvard College from 1849 to 1853.
Biography
Born in Willington, Connecticut, Sparks studied in the common s ...
.[
In the 1960s, the building was sold back to Harvard and the New Church Theological School moved to Newton. The structure was moved in 1968 about from its original site at 48 Quincy Street to its current location at 21 Kirkland Street in order to make room for the construction of Gund Hall.][Bunting, Bainbridge (edited by Margaret Henderson Floyd). ''Harvard: An Architectural History''. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1998: 240. ] The move included moving the property's carriage house, and carefully preserved its original orientation to the street.[
The house now serves as the private residence of Harvard University's Plummer Professor of Christian Morals.
]
See also
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Cambridge, Massachusetts
References
{{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Harvard University buildings
Houses completed in 1838