Oliver Hastings House
Encyclopedia
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Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
. It is a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
.
The house was constructed in 1844 for local builder Oliver Hastings adjacent to the home of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet and educator whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride", The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline...
(now the Longfellow House–Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site). It was later the home of William Lawrence, professor and Dean of the Episcopal Theological School and subsequently Bishop of Massachusetts. The house now forms part of the Episcopal Divinity School
Episcopal Divinity School
The Episcopal Divinity School is a seminary of the Episcopal Church based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Known throughout the Anglican Communion for prophetic teaching and action on issues of civil rights and social justice, its faculty and students have been directly involved in many of the social...
campus.
The house consists of two main dwelling stories topped by a much smaller, inconspicuous third floor. It is architecturally notable mainly for its front facade, with its central, rounded portico set off by a single, full-height window at either side. Iron grillwork forms accents to the second floor exterior.