Submitted by ruth on Mon, 07/02/2018 - 6:16pm
Charlie Sullivan delivered a delightful presentation on the History of Porter Square at our June meeting.
Go here to see the presentation:
https://www.cambridgema.gov/~/media/Files/historicalcommission/pdf/slide...
Or go here for other historical slide shows:
https://www.cambridgema.gov/historic/cambridgehistory/slideshows
Thank you Charlie!
He was followed by Si Shapiro (one of our members) who talked about the history of the Porter Square Shopping Center. He was there from the beginning.
Si shared some photos of that time which I posted to our facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=ms.c.eJw1ycENACAIA8CNDKkt1P0XM0p...
Si, You were (are) great!
As Bill King said:
"Kudos, Charlie, for another terrific presentation last night. While I initially considered myself as living in "Old Cambridge" moving from Irving Terrace to Hurlbut St. in 1966, when the Red Line was extended the commencement of my commute to Boston shifted from Harvard to the new Porter Square subway station, and my shopping habits also re-focused to Porter Square. With relatively few exceptions (the shortly-aborted study- for lack of significant public support - for a North Cambridge NCD, and the longtime landmark processes for St. James and Lesley's moving the North Ave. church being the major ones), the Historical Commission did not have many significant Porter Square area cases during my tenure. I found your early history of the shifting lines of Cambridge-Charlestown boundaries particularly interesting, and I am inspired to revisit the Commission's Northwest Cambridge volume which I recall is inspired by the geological influences on the development of the Square, and north Mass. Ave. and surrounds.
Si's reminiscences of the development of Porter Square Shopping Center was a nice dessert!
Bill"