Adams House - Apthorp House
Address10, Linden Street, Cambridge, MA, United States of America, 02138
Site Number910A
Alternate Names
Bishop's Palace,
East Apthorp House
Building Root Number
03212
Architect (Original)
Peter Harrison
Architect (Renewal)
Beyer Blinder Belle
Constructed
1760
Land Acquired 1916
Building Acquired 1916
Renewed 2020
Land Acquired 1916
Building Acquired 1916
Renewed 2020
StatusActive
Site Name HistoryAdams House was named to commemorate the Adams family, including John Adams and John Quincy Adams, second and sixth Presidents of the United States.The site is also named after Reverend East Apthorp of Christ Church, the first Anglican congregation in Cambridge. Historical NotesApthorp House was designed by prominent Colonial era architect Peter Harrison and built as a private residence in 1760. It was once known as the Bishop's Palace in reference to the home's owner, Reverend East Apthorp. During the American Revolution it was confiscated from the Loyalist owner, John Borland and used by the Committee of Safety and headquarters for General Israel Putnam's Connecticut troops. After the surrender at Saratoga, John Burgoyne and his staff were confined here. In 1833 the building was owned by Dr. Plympton. Mid-nineteenth century, it functioned as a boarding house for Harvard students. In 1901, the Coolidge family of Boston purchased the house. The Coolidge family had built Randolph Hall dormitory, and in 1908, they added squash courts behind it. Apthorp House was a private dormitory until 1916 when Harvard University acquired it. It continued to house students until 1931 when it was made the master's residence for Adams House, now called Faculty Dean's residence for Adams House.
Apthorp House underwent two major renovations. The first in 1931 by Shepley Bulfinch Richardson Abbott, and the second renovation in 2021 by Beyer Blinder Belle.
Apthorp House is listed as a contributing structure in the Harvard Square National Register District. It's also located within the City of Cambridge's Harvard Square Neighborhood Conservation District.
Additional Information
Weber, Paul J. Photographs of Harvard University Buildings and Grounds Taken by Paul J. Weber, Ca. 1929-1931 and 1939. Harvard University Archives call number HUV 2329
Harvard University Archives. Construction Management Records, ca. 1953-1986. Harvard University Archives call number UAV 298.8000
Photographic Views of Adams House, 1931-1961. (1931). Harvard University Archives call number HUV 569
Apthorp House. Apthorp House Plans. (1900). Harvard University Archives call number HUB 1160.
Garrett, Wendell D. Apthorp House, 1760-1960. Harvard University, 1960. Print.
General information by and about Apthorp House, Harvard University Archives call number HUB 1160.2.
General information about Adams House, Harvard University Archives call number HUB 1119.
Apthorp House plans, Harvard University Archives call number HUB 1160.
Descriptive pamphlets of the buildings included in the House Plan - Adams House, Dunster House, Eliot House, Kirkland House, Leverett House, Lowell House, John Winthrop House 1930-1931, HOLLIS number 003160105.
Maycock, Susan E., and Charles Sullivan. Building old Cambridge: architecture and development. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2016. Print. Lamont Library call number NA735.C28 M39 2016; Loeb Design Library call number NA735.C28 M39 2016.
Hale, Herbert D. “Recent Buildings at Harvard University.” The Architectural Review, vol. 8:6, June 1901, pp. 65-75, illus.
“Seven Harvard Colleges Where One Grew Before.” Daily Boston Globe, 27 Sep. 1931, p. B2.
Campbell, Robert. “History Project Harvard Restores Apthorp House, a 1761 Building with a Lively Future - and a Surprisingly Wild Past.” Boston Globe, 14 Oct. 1999, p. G, 1:2.
This building has been designated by the University Planning Office as having a Notable Interior.
