Cambridge Common

Cambridge Common is a public park in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. It is located near Harvard Square and borders on several parts of Harvard University. The north end of the park has a large playground. The park is maintained by the Cambridge Department of Public Works.[3]

Cambridge Common Historic District
View of the Cambridge Common, ca. 1808-09, with Harvard College on the left and Christ Church on the right.
Location in Massachusetts
Location in United States
LocationRoughly SE of Waterhouse St., bordered by Garden St. and Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, Massachusetts
Coordinates42.37651°N 71.12049°W / 42.37651; -71.12049
Area8.5 acres (3.4 ha)[1]
Built1770
SculptorAnne Whitney, et. al.
Architectural styleGreek Revival, Federal
MPSCambridge MRA
NRHP reference No.87000499[2]
Added to NRHPJanuary 26, 1987

History

General George Washington gathered troops on Cambridge Common during the American Revolutionary War. A commemorative plaque marks the location of the Washington Elm, a tree under which legend claims Washington stood as he first assumed command of the Continental Army. Nearby is a trio of bronze cannons, a plaque for Henry Knox, and another for Tadeusz Kościuszko.

Slightly southeast of the center of the Common is a memorial to the American Civil War with a statue of Abraham Lincoln in a covered area near the base of the memorial. On top of the memorial is a statue of a soldier.

Cambridge Common is also the site of an Irish Famine Memorial, dedicated on July 23, 1997 by then President of Ireland, Mary Robinson, and unveiled to an audience of 3,000 people. The Memorial sculpture was created by Maurice Harron, a sculptor from Derry, Northern Ireland. There is a similar memorial in downtown Boston.

  • A modern view of the common
  • Cambridge Common
  • Civil War Memorial
  • The Great Hunger in Ireland Memorial

See also

References
  1. G. W. Bromley map showing area in square feet
  2. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  3. Community Development Department. Public Parks, Playgrounds, and Reservations. August, 2012.
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