List of tallest buildings in Cambridge, Massachusetts

Last updated

The Cambridge skyline in April 2021. Cambridge MA Skyline Charles River 2021.jpg
The Cambridge skyline in April 2021.

Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County in eastern Massachusetts, United States. Located on the northern shore of the Charles River, it is also a major suburb of Boston, the state capitol and regional financial center. It has a population of 118,403 (2020) and a growing number of high-rise buildings.

Contents

Tallest buildings

This list ranks Cambridge buildings that stand at least 200 feet (61 m) tall, based on height measurement criteria established by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) and Emporis.com. This includes spires and architectural details but does not include antenna masts, roof top signs, flag poles or other functional-technical equipment. An equals sign (=) following a rank indicates the same height between two or more buildings. The "Year" column indicates the year in which a building was completed. Freestanding towers, guyed masts and other not habitable structures are included for comparison purposes; however, they are not ranked.

RankNameImageHeight
ft (m)
FloorsYearArchitectAddressNotesRef.
1Graduate Tower at Site 4 M.I.T. Graduate Tower at Site 4 and Welcome Center.jpg 315 ft (96 m)292020 Perkins&Will 45 Hayward StreetTallest building in Cambridge since April 2, 2019. [1] [2]
2Akamai Technologies Global Headquarters Akamai building in Cambridge, Massachusetts.jpg 297 ft (91 m)202019Pickard Chilton145 Broadway [3] [4]
3Boston Marriott Cambridge Boston Marriott Cambridge.jpg 290 ft (88 m)261988Moshe Safdie & Associates2 Cambridge Center, Area 2/MITTallest building built in the 1980s. [5] [6]
4Google Cambridge Google Tower, Cambridge, Massachusetts.jpg 288.5 ft (87.9 m)162023Pickard Chilton Architects with Stantec 325 Main StreetPart of MXD II. [7] [8] [9]
WJIB radio tower285 ft (87 m)N/A1948Neighborhood Nine Mast radiator for WJIB and supports its FM translator, W267CE. [10]
5Proto Kendall Square (Ames Street Residences) 88 Ames St Proto Cambridge MA 2021.jpg 284 ft (87 m)222018FXCollaborative88 Ames Street [11] [12]
6MIT Kendall Square Site 5 (Building E28) M.I.T. Kendall Square Site 5 (Building E28).jpg 280 ft (85 m)182021 Perkins&Will 314 Main Street [13]
7=Avalon North Point Avalon North Point Cambridge MA January 2021.jpg 277 ft (84 m)222008CBT Architects1 Leighton Street, Cambridge Crossing Residential [14]
7=Cecil and Ida Green Center for Earth Sciences (Green Building) Green Building, MIT, Cambridge MA.jpg 277 ft (84 m)211964I.M. Pei & PartnersArea 2/MITHeight to tip - 312 ft (95 m) with radar dome. [15] [16] [17] [18] [19]
9ONE65 Main One65 Main in East Cambridge, Massachusetts.jpg 275 ft (84 m)252022Elkus Manfredi Architects165 Main Street East Cambridge 300 residential units plus retail "to serve families of all sizes" [20] [21] [20] [22]
10Riverfront Office Park 101 Main Street - Cambridge, MA - DSC05630.jpg 270 ft (82 m)181983; renovated 2012101 Main St., East CambridgeThe taller of two interconnected towers [23] [24] [25]
11= Rindge Towers I Rindge Towers - March 2015.JPG 269 ft (82 m)

(est.)

221970 North Cambridge Residential [26]
11= Rindge Towers II Rindge Towers - March 2015.JPG 269 ft (82 m)

(est.)

221970North CambridgeResidential [27]
11= Rindge Towers III Rindge Towers - March 2015.JPG 269 ft (82 m)

(est.)

221970North CambridgeResidential [28]
14 Stanley Building (The Broad Institute) The Broad Institute, Ted and Vada Stanley Building.jpg 264 ft (80 m)152014Elkus Manfredi Architects75 Ames Street [29]
15Watermark Kendall West Watermark Kendall West in Cambridge.jpg 262 ft (80 m)

(est.)

24 [30] 2006David Nagahiro of CBT350 Third Street, Area 2/MIT [31] [ better source needed ] [32] [33] [34]
16Park 151 Park 151 at Cambridge Crossing.jpg 252 ft (77 m)202022151 N First Street, Cambridge Crossing Height to tip - 270 ft (82 m) [35] [36]
17Cambridge Crossing Parcel E/F (250 Water Street) 250 Water Street, Cambridge Crossing.jpg 250 ft (76 m)212020250 Water Street, Cambridge Crossing Life science and technology building
18Tang Residence Hall Tang Residence Hall, MIT - IMG 2960.JPG 248 ft (76 m)241972 The Stubbins Associates 550 Memorial Drive; Area 2/MIT [37] [38]
191010 Memorial Drive Charles River - Cambridge, MA - IMG 0159.JPG 240 ft (73 m)201965 [39] West Cambridge [40] [39]
20Twenty20 Twenty20 Cambridge MA January 2021.jpg 237 ft (72 m)202015CBT Architects20 Child Street, East CambridgeResidential [41]
21MIT Kendall Square SoMa Site 3 Building SoMa Site 3 Building at MIT.jpg 235 ft (72 m)142022McNamara • Salvia238 Main Street [42]
22=Regatta Riverview Residences 1 Museum Towers Regatta Riverview Cambridge MA January 2021.jpg 234 ft (71 m)241998Eisenburg Haven Architects10 Museum Way, East CambridgeAlso called Museum Towers. [43] [44]
22=Regatta Riverview Residences 2 Museum Towers Regatta Riverview Cambridge MA January 2021.jpg 234 ft (71 m)241998Eisenburg Haven Architects12 Museum Way, East CambridgeAlso called Museum Towers. [45] [46]
24One Broadway One Broadway, Cambridge, Massachusetts.jpg 230 ft (70 m)171970East Cambridge [47] [48]
25= Peabody Terrace Apartments I Peabody Terrace Apartments - Harvard University - DSC03009.JPG 226.85 ft (69.14 m)221964 Riverside [49] [50]
25=Peabody Terrace Apartments II Peabody Terrace Apartments - Harvard University - DSC03009.JPG 226.85 ft (69.14 m)221964Riverside [49] [51]
25=Peabody Terrace Apartments III Peabody Terrace Apartments - Harvard University - DSC03009.JPG 226.85 ft (69.14 m)221964Riverside [49] [52]
28808 Memorial Drive 808 Memorial Dr Cambridge MA January 2021.jpg 224 ft (68 m)201975 Cambridgeport [53] [54]
29=929 Mass Apartments 929 Mass Ave Cambridge MA Jan 2021.jpg 220.32 ft (67.15 m)181976 Mid-Cambridge [55]
29= Mather House Mather House - Harvard University - DSC03006.JPG 220.32 ft (67.15 m) (est.)18197010 Cowperthwaite Street, RiversideHarvard student residences. [56]
31Cambridge Crossing Parcel G 350 Water Street, Cambridge Crossing.jpg 220 ft (67 m)142022 Perkins&Will 350 Water Street, Cambridge Crossing Residential, Retail, & Office Photos
32 William James Hall William James Hall, Harvard University.jpg 215 ft (66 m) (est.)151963 Baldwin [57]
33Riverfront Office Park 1 Main St Cambridge MA Jan 2021.jpg 210 ft (64 m)141987; renovated 2012101 Main Street, East CambridgeThe shorter of two interconnected towers [58] [59]
34One Memorial Drive One Memorial Drive, Cambridge Massachusetts.jpg 208 ft (63 m) (est.)171986Area 2/MIT [60]
34Market Central Apartments Market Central Apartments, Cambridge, Massachusetts.jpg 207 ft (63 m)192020425 Massachusetts Ave, Central SquareFormerly known as Mass+Main. [61]
36100 100 Landsdowne Street - Cambridge, MA - DSC07563.jpg 205 ft (62 m)182005100 Landsdowne Street, Cambridgeport [62]
37Frank J. Manning Apartments Manning Apartments Cambridge MA January 2021.jpg 204 ft (62 m)191976237 Franklin Street, Cambridgeport [63]

Under construction or renovation

NameImageHeight
ft (m)
FloorsYearArchitectAddressNotesRef.
40 Thorndike Street (Edward J. Sullivan Courthouse Renovation) Sullivan Courthouse Cambridge MA January 2021.jpg unknown20in progressElkus Manfredi Architects40 Thorndike Street, East CambridgeResidential/Office. This project is a renovation and will replace Edward J. Sullivan Courthouse [64] [65]
MXD Residential Building South400 ft (120 m)372021121 Broadway, East CambridgeSite prep began in early 2023. Height does not include mechanical penthouse. [66]
MIT SoMa Building 2
MIT SoMa Building 2 construction site in 2024.jpg
Construction site in August 2024
240 ft (73 m)13 [67] or 14TBDElkus Manfredi Architects200 Main Street, Area 2/MIT Parking garage, commercial laboratory, office spaces, and retail. [67] [68] [69] [67]

Tallest under construction or proposed

This section lists high-rise buildings that are approved or proposed in Cambridge and planned to be at least 200 feet (61 m) tall, but are not yet under construction. In 2015, Leland Cheung of the Cambridge City Council contemplated the maximum rezoning of the area in terms of building heights, and asked if buildings of up to 1,000 feet (305 m) could be considered in the future. A height of 1,000 feet would be over 200 feet taller than the tallest building in the metro-Boston area: the John Hancock Tower. [70] [71]

NameHeight
ft (m)
FloorsYearCoordinatesNeighborhoodStatusNotesRef.
Volpe Redevelopment MIT500 ft (150 m)502022 East Cambridge ProposedWould be the tallest building in Massachusetts outside of Boston once completed. [72]
585 Third St292.5 ft (89.2 m)162021East CambridgeProposed [73]

Tallest demolished

NameImageHeight
ft (m)
FloorsYearArchitectAddressNotesRef.
Eastgate Married Student Housing277 ft (84 m)301967Eduardo Catalano30 Wadsworth StreetClosed 2020; [74] demolished 2022 [75] [76]

See also

References

  1. "MIT Kendall Square - SoMa Project - Parcel C, Building 4" (PDF). MIT. July 27, 2015. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  2. "Graduate Tower at Site 4". MIT. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Retrieved September 1, 2024. The Graduate Tower at Site 4 (also known as "Site 4") is one of the newest graduate residences, having opened in 2020
  3. "Buildings (4/5)" (PDF). www.cambridgema.gov. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  4. "Akamai Technologies Global Headquarters". CTBUH Skyscraper Database. Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. Archived from the original on May 26, 2024. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  5. "Boston Marriott Cambridge". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
  6. "Boston Marriott Cambridge". Skyscraper Page.
  7. "325 Main St Commercial Building B - CDD Board Design Update" (PDF). www.cambridgema.gov. August 6, 2019. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  8. "Google Cambridge". Magnusson Klemencic Associates. Magnusson Klemencic Associates. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  9. "325 Main Street". Projects. Stantec Architects. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  10. FCC ASR database Retrieved 2014-03-07
  11. "Proto Kendall Square". CTBUH Skyscraper Database. Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  12. "Proto". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  13. "MIT Kendall Square Building 5". CTBUH Skyscraper Database. Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  14. "Avalon North Point". CTBUH Skyscraper Database. Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  15. "Green Building". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
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  19. "Cecil and Ida Green Center for Earth Sciences". CTBUH Skyscraper Database. Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  20. 1 2 "Kendall Square at MIT – Site 1 (165 Main Street)". mit.edu. Retrieved September 1, 2024. the structure is 275 feet tall
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  22. "ONE65 Main". ONE65 Main. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
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  31. "Kendall Square Final Report 2013". www.cambridgema.gov. pp. 20, 21 (Find 193 in the center of the diagram, go down 1.5 inches to a box that says 270', from 270' go up and right one inch at 45° to a box that says 248'). Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  32. "PUD-KS Zoning Proposal Revisions May 5, 2015". www.cambridgema.gov. p. 17. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
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  39. 1 2 Elizabeth af Jochnick (December 5, 2021). "A Brief History of "Ten Ten"". History Cambridge. Retrieved December 2, 2023. Before Ten Ten was Ten Ten, it was an in-patient infirmary for Harvard students, located next to Mount Auburn Hospital, known as the Stillman Infirmatory.
  40. "1010 Memorial". highrises.com. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  41. "NorthPoint TWENTY|20". ctbuh.org. Retrieved November 17, 2016.
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  43. "Museum Towers I". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
  44. "Museum Towers I". skyscraperpage.com. Retrieved February 23, 2015.
  45. "Regatta Riverview Residences". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
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  47. "One Broadway". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
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  49. 1 2 3 "Peabody Terrace Complex". en.wikiarquitectura.com. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
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  51. "Peabody Terrace Apartments II". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on January 28, 2015. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
  52. "Peabody Terrace Apartments III". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on January 28, 2015. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
  53. "808 Memorial Drive". Emporis.com. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
  54. "Calendar Item No. 1 dated 11/4/02 ..." cambridgema.gov.
  55. "929 Apartments". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on May 24, 2015. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  56. "Mather House, Cambridge". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on November 11, 2017. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  57. "William James Hall History". Harvard University. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  58. "Riverfront Office Park II". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
  59. "General Building Information Form" (PDF). riverfrontofficepark.com. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
  60. "One Memorial Drive". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on August 10, 2016. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  61. "Application Section 1-2" (PDF). www.cambridgema.gov. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
  62. "100". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on January 28, 2015. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
  63. "Frank J. Manning Apartments". skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  64. "40 Thorndike Street Cambridge". Emporis.com. Retrieved January 23, 2015.[ dead link ]
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  66. Levy, Marc (September 13, 2021). "Boston Properties bumps up residential units; $180M sale near Alewife; HubSpot to relocate". Cambridge Day. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
  67. 1 2 3 "Kendall Square at MIT – Site 2 (200 Main Street)". Capital Projects. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  68. "MIT Kendall Square 2". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
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  70. Carlock, Catherine, ed. (June 19, 2015). "Could Kendall Square soon be home to the tallest building in New England?". Greater Boston Small Business Resource Guide. Boston Business Journal. American City Business Journals . Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  71. Acitelli, Tom (June 22, 2015). "New England's Tallest Building Could Go Up in Kendall Square". Vox Media. Curbed . Retrieved January 7, 2021. Cambridge City Councillor Leland Cheung has proposed rezoning to allow for a 1,000-foot tower." That would, of course, make it roughly 200 feet taller than the Hancock in downtown Boston, the region's tallest spire to date.
  72. "Volpe rezoning petition" (PDF). Massachusetts Institute of Technology . June 21, 2017.
  73. "PUD Special Permit Submission, Volume 2: Plans and Illustrations" (PDF). City of Cambridge. September 3, 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
  74. Perez-Lopez, Aron (February 20, 2020). "Eastgate Apartments to close at the end of summer". The Tech. Archived from the original on May 29, 2024. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  75. Welker, Grant (January 25, 2022). "30-story Cambridge tower will be demolished in MIT project. Here's what'll replace it". Boston Business Journal. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  76. "Eastgate Married Student Housing". CTBUH Skyscraper Database. Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. Retrieved September 1, 2024.