Arthur D. Little Inc., Building facts for kids
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Arthur D. Little, Inc., Building
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 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
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| Location | 30 Memorial Drive Cambridge, Massachusetts |
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| Built | 1917 |
| NRHP reference No. | 76001970 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | December 8, 1976 |
| Designated NHL | December 8, 1976 |
The Arthur D. Little Inc., Building is a special historic building. It is located at 30 Memorial Drive in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This building was constructed in 1917. It was built for the Arthur D. Little Company. It stands next to the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Today, it serves as the main office for the dean of the MIT Sloan School of Management. Other administrative groups from Sloan also use the building.
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What is the Arthur D. Little Company?
The Arthur D. Little Company was started in 1886. It was founded by a man named Arthur Dehon Little. The company first began on Milk Street in Boston. The building on Memorial Drive is a three-story brick structure. It was built because the company needed more space for its laboratories.
A New Kind of Business
This building is important because of its connection to the Little company. It was the first business in the United States to be a "consulting laboratory." Before this, most companies had their own research labs. They did their own experiments to create new technologies.
Arthur D. Little and his partner, William H. Walker, changed this. They were researchers from universities. They created a lab whose services could be hired by other businesses. This was a new idea at the time.
Early Research and Growth
At first, the company focused on the chemistry of cellulose. This is a material found in plants. They studied how it could be used in things like textiles and paper. By 1909, the company had grown a lot. It became the largest consulting industrial laboratory in the country. They worked on many different types of research.
Arthur D. Little believed that new technology was very important. He thought it helped businesses stay successful. He led the company until he passed away in 1935. He left his shares of the company to MIT.
National Historic Landmark
The Arthur D. Little Inc., Building was recognized for its historical importance. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. This means it is a place that tells an important part of American history.
