Charles Square is a project near and dear to our hearts. It was our first mixed-use development, our first hotel and the first project in an ongoing collaboration with our development partners, Carpenter & Company. 2024 marks a major milestone for Charles Square and CambridgeSeven as we move our office from our long-time location at 1050 Mass. Ave. to 20 University Road to occupy the third floor of the Charles Square office space. In light of this exciting change, we’re sharing insights into this CambridgeSeven classic.

A Brief History

This project was part of a larger urban-scale transformation that would enhance the connection of Harvard Square to the Charles River. Harvard Square was originally the northern terminus of the MBTA’s Red Line and the site of Charles Square, Harvard Kennedy School and the adjacent park was initially home to a large rail yard and parking lot associated with the Red Line. The Red Line extension meant that the rail yard would move to the new terminus at Alewife in North Cambridge, freeing the site for redevelopment. When the Kennedy family opted not to build the JFK Presidential Library in Cambridge, the river-facing portion of the property was selected as the site of a new public park memorializing Kennedy’s legacy. In order to fund this civic-facing project, a significant portion of the state-owned property was sold, opening it for private development that would result in Charles Square.

Design Vision

Selected for the project in a competition, the CambridgeSeven and Carpenter & Company team refined their design based on extensive community input and workshops focused on maintaining the strong urban character that had defined the Harvard neighborhood for generations.

While this building would be larger and taller than the nearby Harvard housing, it was important that it relate to the context of the university and the design reflects many cues, from the brick to courtyards and placemaking. The new-Georgian style of Charles Square is notable for the white windows and details that accent the predominantly brick structure. Additionally, campus quads inspired the courtyard at Charles Square, a vibrant central space shared by the hotel, retail, restaurants, offices, and residences. These outdoor, in-between areas are a defining characteristic of Cambridge and this courtyard, which was introduced during the community process, was a major game-changer to help tie Charles Square to its urban setting. Also, the building height – taller than its neighbors – steps up and away from Bennett Street and back down toward the park, maintaining a pedestrian-scale street experience. To make the residences enticing for homebuyers, we purposefully arranged them all to face the park and river, which made for a unique interior layout that directs all the living spaces toward the water.

“Charles [Square] is an open, welcoming, active, truly civic presence, connected to everything around it,” wrote The Boston Globe upon the 1985 opening.

Lasting Impressions

Since its completion, Charles Square has remained an architectural and cultural staple in Cambridge and has evolved over time to continue to meet the needs of its users. The hotel remains a popular travel destination. The offices buzz with design, tech, and entrepreneurial spirit of local and global companies. The plaza plays host to a weekly farmers market.

That Charles Square has remained vibrant, relevant, and highly desirable over its forty-year history is testament to its success as a commercial and public investment. This project was an early example of an urban insertion that knitted together communities formerly separated by underutilized space. It also demonstrates how private development can be a catalyst for public placemaking – a planning tactic that is still popular today. We’re seeing and experiencing similar approaches to more recent and current projects such as the Four Seasons Private Hotel and Residences, New Orleans – which repurposed a defunct office tower while reinvigorating the NOLA riverwalk – and the Roux Institute at Northeastern – an academic and research center that will also create new public space on Portland’s waterfront. Though the programs and locations are vastly different, the principles of crafting vibrant, joyful, site-specific places for many users to enjoy are largely similar to what they were in 1985.

After 50 years in our location east of Harvard Square on Mass. Ave., CambridgeSeven now calls 20 University Road in Charles Square “home.” We are excited to move into a building that has been such an important part of our firm’s history and is now a large part of our future!