Cambridge, MA–Nauset Construction recently completed the transformation of the historic 1870 Whitney, Lucretia and Henry Building into a 67-key boutique luxury hotel located in Central Square in Cambridge.
907 Main developers Sean Casey, LLC and Hay Creek Hotels hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony on September 23rd to celebrate its opening with city, neighborhood and business representatives in attendance, including City Manager Louie De Pasquale, Police Commissioner Branville Bard, and Mike Monestime, Executive Director of the Central Square BID.
“This is my love letter to Central Square. I’m all in on Central Square and I always have been,” said Patrick Barrett of Sean Casey, LLC, Owner/Manager of 907 Main. Barrett told the gathering that he met his wife in Central Square and now lives there with his family.
907 Main is situated in Lafayette Square within the Central Square District of the National Register of Historic Places. Nauset and the design team worked closely with the Cambridge Historical Commission to preserve the building’s historic character, including the restoration of the original concrete and masonry building façade. Nauset and its team of skilled subcontractors also constructed a four-story addition that blends seamlessly with the existing historic 1870 structure. The addition, clad with metal panels and fly-ash composite trims, houses a two-bedroom penthouse suite as well as the Blue Owl rooftop restaurant, which features an 1150 square foot rooftop terrace with spectacular skyline views of the city, due to open this spring. The hotel also features a 2,000 square foot ground-level floor patio (also coming in spring of 2021) that includes a boozy milkshake shack. The historic, adaptive reuse project is designed to meet LEED-certifiable requirements.
The hotel features an eclectic blend of gastronomic delights. In addition to the Blue Owl, 907 Main is home to The Dial restaurant and bar, complete with a walkout patio and private dining as well as the soon-to-be opened French bakery Praliné, and the iconic Toscanini’s Ice Cream, scheduled to open next year. The brand identity and interiors were created with direction from Hay Creek Hotels and designed by Gensler Boston (with Boyes-Watson as the architect of record). Each venue within 907 Main was created to reflect the freewheeling culture and art of the Central Square neighborhood. Guest rooms were designed to pay homage to the original architecture, showcasing original brick walls and bay windows.
Just steps from the MBTA Red Line Central Square stop, this transit-oriented development is within walking distance to both Harvard Square and Kendall Square, widely considered to be the epicenter of the global life sciences industry.
“This is the second Cambridge hotel Nauset has worked with in the last year and is reflective of the diversification of our construction capabilities,” said Nauset Construction President Anthony Papantonis. “The successful completion of 907 Main is also indicative of our greatest strengths – working with tight, zero-lot line urban infill sites, and the thoughtful restoration and repurposing of historically significant structures.”
Nauset has been working extensively in Cambridge for many years, completing projects across the property type spectrum. Recent projects include 121 First Street, a 60,000 SF mixed-use office building fully leased to CarGurus; Point 262, a sold-out 55-unit condominium complex near Lechmere Station; and nearly a dozen multifamily and mixed-use projects.
