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Porter Square
Public square in Massachusetts

Porter Square, located at 42.3886°N 71.1194°W, is a neighborhood spanning Cambridge and Somerville, Massachusetts, centered around the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Somerville Avenue, near Harvard and Davis Squares. The area is served by the Porter Square station, which connects to the MBTA Red Line and Fitchburg Line Commuter Rail. A significant portion of Lesley University is located here. Between 2004 and 2006, the main intersection underwent major renovations to enhance transportation access and drainage, featuring artistic designs by Toshihiro Katayama of Harvard University and landscape architect Cynthia Smith.

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History

Previously called Union Square, Porter Square was renamed in 1896 after Porter's Hotel to reduce confusion with Union Square in Somerville.45 The hotel was operated by Zachariah B. Porter and is one possible origin of the porterhouse steak.6 The hotel was demolished in 1909.7 The square, formerly flanked by cattle yards that used the Porter rail head to transport their beef throughout the US, was an important center for commerce and light industry as early as the late 18th century. A tunnel for moving cattle to and from the railroad without interfering with street traffic, known as the Walden Street Cattle Pass, was built in 1857. The tunnel survives under the nearby Walden Street Bridge, and in 2007–08 was preserved and restored. The "most dramatic loss" of early 19th century landscape in the square was the leveling of the old Rand Estate in 1952 to make way for the Porter Square Shopping Center.8

In 1984 the Red Line was extended from Harvard through Porter and Davis Square to its present terminus at Alewife, a project that also left Porter with its most visible landmark, Susumu Shingu's9 46-foot painted steel and aluminum kinetic sculpture, Gift of the Wind.

Lesley University

Lesley University continues to expand in the Porter Square neighborhood, with the relocation of its College of Art and Design to the North Prospect Church and a new building built on the church's former site at the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Roseland Street.10

In addition to University Hall at 1815 Massachusetts Avenue and the Lunder Arts Center at 1801 Massachusetts Avenue, Lesley also has administrative offices at 815 Somerville Avenue and parking areas across Massachusetts Avenue from University Hall.11

Shopping

Porter Square Shopping Center

The Porter Square Shopping Center consists of two buildings and a parking lot.

Porter Square Galleria

Adjacent to the Porter Square Shopping Center is a small mall called the Porter Square Galleria. In recent years it has lost several large tenants.121314 A Target is being built in the space formerly occupied by Walgreens.

The Shops at Porter

A prominent feature of the Porter Square skyline is the tower on the Art Deco-style building located at 1815 Massachusetts Avenue. The building, now known as University Hall, was originally a Sears, Roebuck store from 1928 to 1985.15 In 1991, Lesley University began leasing classroom space there, and in 1994 the university bought the building, which now houses its Graduate School of Education, bookstore, administrative offices, art and dance studios, and classrooms.16

References

  1. "toshihiro katayama". People.fas.harvard.edu. Archived from the original on March 24, 2012. Retrieved February 26, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120324100446/http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~katayama/ ↩

  2. "Halvorson Design Partnership - People - Cynthia W. Smith ASLA Vice President". Halvorsondesign.com. Archived from the original on March 17, 2013. Retrieved February 26, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20130317035719/http://www.halvorsondesign.com/cynthia_smith.html ↩

  3. "Architecturally Speaking by Gary Wang". Retrieved April 15, 2008. http://thealewife.typepad.com/weblog/2007/08/architecturally.html ↩

  4. "Newton's Proposed Charter". Boston Evening Transcript. December 2, 1896. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/article/boston-evening-transcript/171390322/ ↩

  5. "Realty Affairs in Cambridge". Boston Evening Transcript. December 7, 1896. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/article/boston-evening-transcript/171392124/ ↩

  6. Kyff, Rob (June 21, 2015). "Latin Root 'Porto' Gives Scores Of English Words". Hartford Courant. p. F3 – via Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/article/hartford-courant/171526487/ ↩

  7. Survey of Architectural History in Cambridge: Northwest Cambridge, 1977, ISBN 0-262-53032-5, Cambridge Historical Commission, Cambridge, Massachusetts. pp. 164-65 /wiki/ISBN_(identifier) ↩

  8. Survey of Architectural History in Cambridge: Northwest Cambridge, 1977, ISBN 0-262-53032-5, Cambridge Historical Commission, Cambridge, Massachusetts. pp. 164-65 /wiki/ISBN_(identifier) ↩

  9. "Susumu Shingu". Susumu Shingu. Archived from the original on March 30, 2012. Retrieved February 26, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120330181235/http://susumushingu.com/en/index.html ↩

  10. Lunder Arts Center Archived 2015-04-16 at the Wayback Machine Access date 2013-12-17 http://www.lesley.edu/PageTemplate.aspx?id=12998 ↩

  11. "Lesley University Campus Map". Archived from the original on August 9, 2011. Retrieved August 14, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110809100951/http://www.lesley.edu/campus/campus-map.html ↩

  12. "Porter Square losing Blockbuster; first, though, a clearance sale!". Retrieved August 13, 2011. http://www.cambridgeday.com/2009/07/30/porter-square-losing-blockbuster-first-though-a-clearance-sale/ ↩

  13. "Pizzeria Uno closes in Porter Square". Retrieved August 13, 2011. http://www.cambridgeday.com/2010/03/01/pizzeria-uno-closes-in-porter-square/ ↩

  14. "Porter Square Galleria loses third large tenant in Jennifer Convertibles". Retrieved August 13, 2011. http://www.cambridgeday.com/2010/08/18/porter-square-galleria-loses-third-large-tenant-in-jennifer-convertibles/ ↩

  15. WROBLEWSKI, DANIEL B. (July 9, 1985). "Sears Will Close Down Its Porter Square Store". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved June 15, 2018. https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1985/7/9/sears-will-close-down-its-porter/ ↩

  16. "Writing about a building is not easy". Archived from the original on August 9, 2011. Retrieved August 13, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110809092752/http://www.lesley.edu/news/publications/magazine/archive_issues/features_porter.html ↩