BUILDING HISTORY
139 Main Street is one of the last remaining pieces of first-generation commercial construction in Cambridge.
The building’s location along Main Street is at an important spot connecting into Boston. This, coupled with the fact that the rear of the property fronted on the Broad Canal, kept the property in steady use through multiple changes in the economy.
The Luke Building in 1899.
The Luke Building was originally built in 1874 as the home to E.H. Luke & Sons; dealers in grain, meal, hay, and straw. 139 Main Street predates the Longfellow Bridge, which was built starting in 1900 and incorporated plans for the subway that would become the future Red Line. The photograph at left shows original construction of the subway in 1909. In the 1950s, the building housed a series of small businesses.
When the building was acquired in 2017, it was in dire need of restoration; the original brick masonry walls and supporting foundations were failing, windows and doors were beyond their life, building systems were outdated, and the interior configuration was unaligned with today’s office market. Although the ultimate use and configuration were initially uncertain, it was clear that preserving this building would be a primary goal of the project.
above A view from Kendall Square in 1948. Luke Building located on far left.
left Main Street rail tracks in 1909. The Luke Building is located between the second and third cable towers from the right.
above 139 Main Street in the early 1940s.
right The building was ideally located between Main Street and the Lechmere
Canal.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Initially, the scope of work was a core and shell renovation providing a typical shell space for tenants. This approach, however, included the bare minimum of amenity, common, and flexible workspaces—features desired by today’s work force.
It quickly became apparent that given the historical pedigree, prime location, and growing interest in the building, it would merit a design and arrangement that would transform the building into something better: modestly-sized, modern, and collaborative office spaces targeted towards and benefitting from the innovation community in Kendall Square.
FIFTH FLOOR
FOURTH FLOOR
THIRD FLOOR
SECOND FLOOR
TENANT
AMENITY SPACE
BOARD ROOM
OUTDOOR
GROUND FLOOR
TENANT
COMMON KITCHEN, INFORMAL MEETING
CONFERENCE ROOMS
PROGRAM DIAGRAM
CHANGING, SHOWER, AND WELLNESS ROOM
TENANT
COMMON KITCHEN
MEETING CUBE
LOUNGE
Amenities & Flex Space
To attract these small start-up and innovation tenants, the space was redesigned to integrate a variety of 21st century amenities and flexible spaces to create a new model that falls somewhere between coworking and dedicated office space.
Each floor offers shared conference and kitchen amenities, which benefit tenants by reducing the individual need to provide these amenities within their own space. This configuration increases the opportunities for collaboration and serendipitous interaction with others in the building.
Typical Floor Diagram. Common amenity and conferencing space allows tenants to collaborate and reduce non-working spaces within their own suites.
The ground level offers a lounge, conference room, break-out nook, wellness room, showers, and bike storage, available to everyone in the building. Office suites on the middle floors flank a central shared space that includes a kitchenette, different sized conference rooms, and break-out nooks. The top floor, part of the 1980s addition, uses almost half of its floor plate for additional building-wide amenities. A kitchen with communal table, a large boardroom-sized conference room, and an exterior terrace all provide generous views to the Charles River and downtown Boston.
HIstoric details are celebrated.
DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION
The design team deployed a strategy of simple, modern details and elements. Brick walls, timber ceilings, and columns were newly exposed. New walls do not enclose historic elements. Materials were synergistic to each other: wood floors, black metal, and wood paneling were chosen to harmonize with the old. Vibrant pops of color, simple furniture, the latest technology for collaboration and security, and carefully curated art create an industrial, timeless, and inviting environment.
this page There was substantial deterioration of the masonry walls throughout the building.
opposite The newly renovated ground floor office celebrates the historic details of the building.
above left & above right Workers restore and reconstruct the building’s foundations and walls.
left Remnants of the deteriorated timber piles during removal.
Atypical of modern brick construction, masons reconstructed the walls exactly as they were originally built in the 1800s - with multiple wythes of brick supporting a heavy timber frame.
The building was originally constructed on wood foundation piles, as was typical at the turn of the 20th century. Over time, however, the ground underneath the building was dewatered, causing the tops of the piles to deteriorate, and leading to substantial settling, particularly in the southeast corner along Main Street. This caused a significant amount of cracking and damage in that area.
Significant effort by the team was exerted to determine the best approach for stabilizing and restoring the building. Several ideas were tested, but in the end, the entire southeast corner was de-assembled, new pile-caps were installed under the entire building, and then the façade rebuilt brick by brick. Original granite sills and arches were carefully removed and re-installed, and a new wood heavy timber secondary structure was replicated.
Diagram of the area of the building that was reconstructed.
above Design rendering of first floor entry.
right Final photo of first floor entry.
above Design rendering of first floor conference room and breakout space.
right Finished construction.
The fifth floor offers a variety of options for formal and informal meeting.
above Design rendering of third floor common space.
right Final photo of third floor common space.
The fifth floor roof deck offers clear views of Boston and Cambridge.
Owner
LO cati O n
MIT 139 Main Street LLC
139 Main Street, Cambridge, MA
Size 43,500 SF
time L ine
ARCHITECT
p R oj ECT m A n A g ER
Con STRUCTI on m A n A g ER
m E p /F p E ng I n EER
STRUCTURAL E ng I n EER
CIVIL E ng I n EER
LA n DSCA p E ARCHITECT
b UILDI ng E n VEL op E
2017–2019
Arrowstreet, Inc.
Leggat McCall Properties
John Moriarty & Associates, Inc.
Wozny/Barbar & Associates, Inc.
McNamara/Salvia, Inc.
Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc.
CBA Landscape Architects, LLC
Building Envelope Technologies, Inc.
Sp ECIFICATI on S Kalin Associates Inc.
L I g HTI ng
Co DE
Schweppe Lighting Design Inc.
Hastings Consulting Incorporated
VERTICAL TRA n S po RTATI on Syska Henessy Group
ACo USTICS
p ER m ITTI ng
pH o T og RA p H y
S p ECIAL THA nk S T o
Cavanaugh Tocci Associates, Inc.
Dan Winny Architect
Robert Benson Photography, Arrowstreet Inc., and Cambridge Historical Commission
Charles Sullivan
Cambridge Historical Commission
