53 Church Street
Address53, Church Street, Cambridge, MA, United States of America, 02138
Site Number377
Alternate Names
Torrey Hancock House,
Cambridge School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture for Women,
Dalby House
Previous Building Number
365
Building Root Number 04022
Building Root Number 04022
Architect (Original)
Unknown
Constructed
1827
Building Acquired 1965
Land Acquired 1965
Building Acquired 1965
Land Acquired 1965
StatusActive
Site Name HistoryThe site is named after its address.Historical NotesBuilt in 1827 with an addition added in 1928, 53 Church Street became the home of the Cambridge School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (Women's Educational Institute) in 1916, and later became part of Smith College. The school closed in 1942, which is the same year Harvard University's Graduate School of Design started to admit women. The Harvard Extension School uses it today.Additional Information2003 winner of Cambridge Historical Commission Preservation Award
2002 winner of the Renovation Design Merit Award by the Massachusetts Architectural Access Board.
Murray, Laura M. “Historical Landmark Denied.” The Harvard Crimson, 4 Mar. 1992, https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1992/3/4/historical-landmark-denied-pharvard-has-declined/.
Cambridge School. The Cambridge School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture: An Affiliated Graduate Professional School of Smith College. The School, 1936.
Frost, Henry Atherton. The Cambridge School of Architecture & Landscape Design for Women, Bulletin No. 2, March, 1917,. Cambridge, Mass, 1917.
Cambridge School of Domestic Architecture and Landscape Architecture. The Cambridge School of Domestic Architecture & Landscape Architecture. The School, 1932.
Elfman, Barbara. The Cambridge School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture and the Pioneering Women Who Attended. 2009, 2009.
“Graduate School Is Added at Smith: Affiliated Cambridge School of Architecture Becomes an Integral Part of College.” New York Times, 1938, pp. 58-.
This building has been designated by the University Planning Office as having a Notable Interior.