The Edwin Abbot House stands at the intersection of Concord Avenue, Garden Street, and Follen Street in western Cambridge. Built in 1889 to a design by Longfellow, Alden & Harlow, it is a prominent example of residential Richardsonian Romanesque architecture. The house is constructed from a combination of gray and rust-colored rectangular granite blocks with red sandstone trim and a red slate hip roof. Its front facade features a projecting polygonal bay topped by a pyramidal roof, and the interior includes a grand entrance hall with high quality woodwork and a grand staircase.
Originally built for lawyer and railroad executive Edwin Hale Abbot (1834–1927), the house remained in the Abbot family until 1937. Since then, it has served as the principal building of the Longy School of Music of Bard College. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 and included in the Follen Street Historic District in 1986.
In the 1960s, a modern addition was made to the north, designed by Huygens and Tappe, which houses the Pickman Concert Hall. The rooms of the mansion are used by the school for various academic purposes, including offices and practice spaces. The house remains a significant local landmark, maintaining its historical character while serving the needs of the music school.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
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