Kirkland House - Hicks House
Address64, John F. Kennedy Street, Cambridge, MA, United States of America, 02138
Alternate Address66, John F. Kennedy Street, Cambridge, MA, United States of America, 02138
Site Number930B
Alternate Names
John Hicks House,
Building Root Number
03272
Architect (Original)
John Hicks
Constructed
1762
Building Acquired 1926
Building Acquired 1926
StatusActive
Site Name HistoryThe site is named after John Thornton Kirkland (1770-1840), president of Harvard University from 1810 to 1828 and for John Hicks (1725-1775), original owner of the house, who was killed by the British Army in April 1775 at the beginning of the Revolutionary War.Historical NotesHicks House was built as a private residence in 1762 at 64 Dunster Street. It was relocated to its current site in 1928 in preparation for the construction of the Indoor Athletic Building, now known as the Malkin Athletic Center. The house, initially threatened with destruction, was saved by a campaign by the Cambridge Historical Commission and Harvard University.The original owner of the house, John Hicks, was killed in battle on April 19, 1775. His house was then used by General Israel Putnam as an office and quartered some of his troops at the house. Hicks House was acquired by Harvard in 1926, and today is part of Kirkland House, one of Harvard's twelve undergraduate residential communities.
In 1928, in new location, Coolidge Shepley Bulfinch & Abbott renovated it for use as Kirkland House library.
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
Photographic Views of Kirkland House, 1913-1963. (1913). Harvard University Archives call number HUV 664
Harvard University. 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, [include sketches and plans]. HOLLIS number 003160105.
“Professor to Live in House on its Trip.” Daily Boston Globe, 28 Nov. 1928, p. 9.
“Kirkland House Staff Announced.” Daily Boston Globe, 15 Nov. 1930, p. 7.
“Old Hicks House to Remain in Cambridge, but Will Be Moved from Present Location.” Daily Boston Globe, p. 28.
“Seven Harvard Colleges Where One Grew Before.” Daily Boston Globe, 27 Sep. 1931, p. B2.
“Pres Lowell Leads Harvard Unit Survey.” Daily Boston Globe, 26 Sep. 1931, p. 13.
“House Profiles.” The Harvard Crimson [Cambridge, MA], 20 Mar. 1963, https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1963/3/20/house-profiles-pbia-foreword-to-freshmenib.
"The Ancient John Hicks House." Cambridge Tribune, 26 Oct. 1928, p. 9.
"Cambridge House Built in 1762 can't "Stay Put": Going to a New Location." The Christian Science Monitor, Dec 06, 1928, pp. 7.
Almeida, Zoe L. “Whispers in the Walls: The Story of Kirkland’s Hicks House.” The Harvard Crimson, 16 Nov. 2017, https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2017/11/16/retrospective-hicks-house-kirkland/.
Fraser, Esther Stevens. "The John Hicks House." The Proceedings of the Cambridge Historical Society, Vol. 20, 1927-1929. http://cambridgehistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Proceedings-Volume-20-1927-1929.pdf
This building has been designated by the University Planning Office as having a Notable Interior.