Sparks House
Address21, Kirkland Street, Cambridge, MA, United States of America, 02138
Previous Address48, Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA, United States of America, 02138
Site Number307
Alternate Names
48 Quincy Street,
Treadwell-Sparks House
Building Root Number
00610
Architect (Original)
William Saunders
Constructed
1838
Land Acquired 1905
Building Acquired 1966
Moved 1968
Land Acquired 1905
Building Acquired 1966
Moved 1968
StatusActive
Site Name HistoryThe site is named for Jared Sparks (1789–1866), a historian and Unitarian minister who served as President of Harvard from 1849 to 1853 and lived in the house.Historical NotesThe Jared Sparks House was constructed in 1838 by William Saunders, a local builder. It is the first house constructed on the parcel of land that had been purchased in 1804 from the heirs of John Foxcroft by William Hyslop Sumner. The house was originally located at the corner of Quincy Street and Kirkland Street and served as a house for Harvard presidents until 1893 when it was purchased by the Swedenborg Church. In 1901 the church moved the house on its lot to accommodate the construction of the Swedenborg Chapel. The house was moved again in 1968 to its current location on Kirkland Street to allow for the construction of Gund Hall.Additional Information
Harvard University Archives. Construction Management Records, ca. 1953-1986. Harvard University Archives call number UAV 298.8000
Beck, Matthew M. “Sparks House Undergoes a Color Change.” Harvard Crimson, 11 Sept. 2012, https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2012/9/11/sparks-house-change-color/.
“Harvard Moves Historic House to New Location.” Cambridge Chronicle, 17 Oct. 1968, p. 20.
General Information by and about Sparks House. Harvard University Archives HUB 1805
Placed on the National Register of Historic Places September 12, 1986. National Register Information System ID: 86002078
This building has been designated by the University Planning Office as having a Notable Interior.