History Cambridge may be in the middle of selling its headquarters but finding a new place to serve as a home base is not a huge priority for the organization. Instead of devoting much time and effort to maintaining the historic 6,449 sq. ft. Colonial-style home known as the Hooper-Lee Nichols House, History Cambridge wants to focus on expanding its community offerings.
“That’s where we really see our strength, as being a convener,” Ed Rodley said.
The shift away from a physical address to a wider community engagement is already evident. History Cambridge has expanded its pop-up exhibits and neighborhood focuses on the past few months. It has also collaborated with historical nonprofits in the area such as Cambridge Black History Project and Slave Legacy History Coalition (SLHC) and local organizations such as the East Cambridge Business Association and Cambridgeport Neighborhood Association.
“If it was not for History Cambridge and their support in helping us launch [SLHC], we would not be in existence today and would not have achieved all the things that we have done,” said Dennis Lloyd, founder of SLHC, which has been dedicated to educating the public about the complex history of slavery in New England, specifically the Greater Boston area since 2021. History Cambridge became the organization’s fiscal sponsor when it applied for nonprofit status back in 2022.
Besides doing work to support other organizations, one of History Cambridge’s recent initiatives are its History Hubs, or Neighborhood History Centers, a program that focuses on the rich history of various Cambridge neighborhoods through pop-up hubs and community exhibitions. The program showcased Cambridgeport in 2023, North Cambridge in 2024, East Cambridge in 2025 and is focused on West Cambridge this year.
“We aren’t terribly concerned about no longer having a physical space, because the proof of the model that we’re currently operating under has definitely been working for us,” said Rodley. “Particularly in these post-Covid times, the idea of having to have a single long-standing physical address that doesn’t change — that need has lessened,” he said.
Rodley, who has served as president of History Cambridge’s board for over a decade, said the decision to sell the nearly 350-year-old house came from many arduous discussions between board members over a period of six years.
Billed as the second oldest house in the city, its deep historical value is apparent almost as soon as you step in. From its numerous fireplaces and kitchen-turned library to its intimately-sized rooms and narrow staircases, the house showcases its early Colonial and Colonial revival style architecture as well as the many renovations it has endured over the years.
A need for a different space
The House became History Cambridge’s headquarters in 1957, when it was donated by Frances and William Emerson, the first dean of MIT School of Architecture. Over the next several decades, the house served the organization well as a center for collecting and preserving historical artifacts and stories about Cambridge, but the house’s limited space — along with rising maintenance costs — have made it difficult to keep up with.
“[The house] doesn’t really have any large spaces,” Rodley said, “if you wanted to get more than 20 people together, it’d be kind of hard to do.”
Ideally, the house would return to its original purpose as a private residence for a family, Rodley said. The group is aware that a historic property like the Hooper-Lee Nichols House could take time to find the right buyer.
When the sale happens, the house will be managed by the Massachusetts Historical Commission under a preservation easement. Because the house is also located in the Old Cambridge Historical District, no significant changes to the interior or exterior can be done without permission from the Commission, according to Charlie Sullivan, its executive director.
Sullivan acknowledged that the sale would likely reduce public access to the historical site. “It’ll be a very different organization going forward,” Sullivan said.
That’s because History Cambridge is also moving the headquarters’ archival collection of papers and historical objects elsewhere. The house currently holds many kinds of artifacts including analog photographs, manuscripts, books, period furnishings and objects including a chair owned by Benjamin Franklin.
Appointment-free history
Family and business papers that preserve the social and political history of Cambridge will go to the Cambridge Public Library, which already has a dedicated Cambridge History Room for the general public to access. “You don’t have to have a particular reason or an academic credential to come in, we really encourage members of the public from Cambridge, from all over the world to come and use our materials,” said Alyssa Pacy, archivist at the Cambridge Public Library.
That makes the library an improvement on the current situation at the Hooper-Lee Nichols house, where interested folks must make an appointment to see the archives, according to Rodley.
The Historical Commission, in the meantime, will absorb records related to the built environment of the main house.
Planning for the 400th
In the meantime, Historical Cambridge is gearing up for the 400th anniversary of the city of Cambridge in 2030. The board has been planning a long-term project called “Cambridge 400: Our Shared Future,” involving community members and stakeholders to preserve the stories, history and culture of the city.
History Cambridge is also partnering with local institutions such as the Harvard Art Museums, the MIT Museum, the City of Cambridge and Mount Auburn Cemetery to gather a diverse collection of people and stories together to celebrate Cambridge’s significance.
The nature of the 400th anniversary celebrations reinforces Historic Cambridge’s decision to let go of its physical space, Rodley said. “The 400th anniversary of the founding of Cambridge is something that doesn’t really require us to have a home. We need to be all over the city to do all the things we would like to see happen to commemorate it,” he said.
The Hooper-Lee Nichols House is on the market with a $5.8 million listing price. The organization is actively soliciting offers in a sale process that has been underway for several months.
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