Old North Cambridge

By Thomas F. O’Malley, 1929 The literature of Cambridge contains but little relating to the early days in North Cambridge. This does not necessarily mean that North Cambridge history is lacking in interest, but rather that the subject has not been written up. The region between Harvard Square and Alewife Brook is rich in historic…

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Nick’s Beef and Beer House

Years 1971 – 1998 Location 1688 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard/Porter Square History The fact that it was more identifiably called “Nick’s eef and eer Ho”, or “Nick’s Bee and Beer Hose,” depending on which letters were missing from its sign, kind of says it all. Nick’s had a loyal following, despite (or because of) its unabashed,…

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Cambridge School of Culinary Arts

Compiled by Deb Mandel, 2022 Years 1974 – present Location 2020 Massachusetts Ave., Porter Square Website: https://cambridgeculinary.com/ History In 1974, Roberta L. Dowling began teaching classes on European cooking in her home, an endeavor whose popularity precipitated the opening of an established school of culinary arts. Roberta graduated from Madeleine Kaman’s Modern Gourmet cooking school…

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New Wine in Old Bottles

By Michael Kenney, 2017 Sunday brunch time and weekday happy hours, the courtyard at the corner of Broadway and Hampshire Street is a lively place, with hipsters and families enjoying the bars and restaurants grouped around the open brick-paved space. Hard to believe, but it was even more bustling a century ago, when shifts of…

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The Makings of City Streets By Michael Kenney

As we lean into this year’s theme of “What Does Cambridge Make?”, a look at street names reveals a product–filled past. Porter Square was Union Square until 1899, when it was renamed in honor of Zachariah B. Porter, the proprietor of Porter’s Hotel; many claim he lent his name to the specialty of the house,…

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