West Cambridge

On a sunny Sunday afternoon this week, nine year-old Jake J. Dannecker and his cousins are busily selling cups of lemonade outside of his large Brattle Street home.

The landscape in Dannecker's neighborhood has changed little since the building of the beautiful colonial homes which line its shady streets.

During colonial times Brattle Street was known as "Tory Row." Some of the most wealthy Loyalist aristocrats resided in mansions on this street, just blocks from Harvard Square.

Today, Brattle is still richly steeped in the history of a colonial past. The neighborhood serves as the gateway to West Cambridge, which remains relatively unexplored by members of the Harvard community.

"There's a lot more to West Cambridge than Harvard Square," says Warren M. Little '55, executive director of the Cambridge Historical Society.

With the exception of those involved in extracurricular programs like FUP and PBH, Harvard students and faculty know "next to nothing" about the history of West Cambridge, Little says.

But even those who have no knowledge of Cambridge history may enjoy strolling up Brattle St. just a few blocks, where they can explore the houses of a by-gone era and may be purchase some lemonade from a future entrepreneur.

History and Geography

One of the most prominent figures in the history of West Cambridge is poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. According to historical documents, Longfellow wrote the majority of his poems while living at 105 Brattle St., Known today as the "Longfellow House," a national historic site.

Most of the other houses along the block display little blue signs on the front lawn, compliments of the Harvard Historical Commission, which ensure that nobody will change the color or appearance of the homes.

A few blocks from the Longfellow House and one block from the Charles River, on Elmwood Ave., is the "Lowell House." Built in 1760, the mansion was the home of Governor Elbridge Gerry, who signed the Declaration of Independence and served as U.S. Vice-President from 1813 to 1814.

Today, the estate is known as "Elmwood" and is the residence of Harvard President Neil L. Rudenstine.

Despite the predominance of historic estates, the buildings along the Brattle were not all erected during revolutionary times.

"Brattle also has a lot of interesting architecture" from many different periods, Little says.

Brattle St., beginning in Brattle Square, runs about a mile and a half to Mount Auburn Cemetery, the nation's oldest rural garden cemetery.

In the mid 1800s, the cemetery was known as "Stone's Woods." According to historical documents, the garden was a favorite spot for Harvard students to take walks to escape the stress of academic life.

Just north of the cemetery lies the edge of Fresh Pond, an enormous reservoir which serves as Cambridge's main source of drinking water.

According to Little, in the 1800s Fresh Pond served as an international supplier of ice for refrigeration. Chunks of ice were cut from the Pond and transported all over the Globe, Little says.

Years ago, the Fresh Pond area was composed primarily of swamp land, brick yards and cattle yards. Little says. Today, the lands surrounding Fresh Pond boast many businesses, malls and theaters.

Residents

Today's West Cambridge residents, however, seem more interested in turning a profit than reflecting on the past. Dannecker and his fellow sales staff seem to be more excited about their lemonade stand than the historical commission sign in the driveway.

"I don't really care about [the history]," Dannecker says. "It doesn't really matter."

Dannecker was selling lemonade for the first time, along with his cousins Chris E. Gordon, 13, and Jeff W. Gordon, 11, of Belmont.

The youths were continuing the tradition of Dannecker's mother, Ceci J. Gordon, who also sold lemonade when she was growing up in her father's Brattle St. home.

Today, she still lives in the house with her son and father, William J. Gordon '49 and owns two boutiques. Ceci Gordon says her father bought the house for "Around $50,000."

"Property values has changed," she says, laughing.

Dannecker and his family live in what the historical commission calls the "Worcester House." The sign in the front indicates that the home was built in 1843 for Lexicographer Joseph Worcester, author of Worcester's Unabridged English Dictionary.

According to Ceci Gordon, a great deal more than property values has changed in her neighborhood since her childhood.

"All the neighbors used to party together," She says. "Mothers never worked. They all had maids and gardeners so they had time to cook and plan parties."

Ceci Gordon says many of the neighborhood children became her friends, but her son faces a different situation now.

"I don't have any friends around here," Dannecker says. His friends, however, like to come visit him, Dannecker says. Like the many tourists who stroll West Cambridge's streets, Dannecker's friends seem to like his neighborhood.

"They look at the houses, decorations and big yards," Dannecker says.

One Firefighter's Perspective

Of course not all of the homes in West Cambridge are historic sites.

A few blocks from Dannacker's lemonade stand, on the other side of Governor Bill Weld's mansion, the homes are smaller and newer.

And close to Cochran Park, near Fresh Pond, there is a housing project for low-middle income families, according to Captain Pasquale J. DeMaio of the Engine 9 Fire Department on Lexington Ave.

DeMaio, who took his post in West Cambridge recently, says he enjoys his new post after serving at a fire department in Kendall Square.

"There's a nice bunch of people here," DeMaio says. "They treat us well, they come in with their kids and they vote here."

DaMaio says he recognized Harvard Law Professor Alan M. Derschowitz when he came to vote last time because he had seen him on television so frequently.

"Up here you're dealing with people who run the world," he says. DeMaio recalls when he was called to President Rudenstine's home because the doors of the fireplace were left shut and smoke filled the building.

DeMaio says there are some definite differences between West Cambridge and his former post.

"There are not as many false alarms; it's a different class of people and there is much less industry," DeMaio says.

Most of the homes around Lexington Ave., between Brattle and Fresh Pond, house two to three families and have about six bedrooms, DeMaio says.

"Many are turning into condos," he says. These houses are not protected by the historical commission.

A Lot to Learn

Little and the Historical Society say they are around because residents have a lot to learn about their neighborhoods.

He says his goal is to "educate Cantabrigians about their city, going back to the early days.

Some younger Cantabrigians seem to have their eyes on the future, but they may have much to learn from the wealth of historical information available in West Cambridge.

This article is fourth in an occasional series on Cambridge's neighborhoods.