Athenaeum Press facts for kids
The Athenæum Press Building is a historic and impressive building in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It takes up a whole city block! You can easily spot it from the Charles River and the Longfellow Bridge, especially because it has a cool statue of the Greek goddess Athena on its roof.
Quick facts for kids |
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Athenæum Press
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 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
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| Location | 215 1st Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts |
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| Built | 1895 |
| Architect | Lockwood, Greene, & Co. |
| MPS | Cambridge MRA |
| NRHP reference No. | 82001917 |
| Added to NRHP | April 13, 1982 |
Contents
Building History
This amazing building was finished in 1895. It was designed by a company called Lockwood, Greene & Company. Parts of the building, like its strong tile ceilings, were made by the Guastavino Company.
A Home for Printing
The building was built for Ginn & Company. They owned The Athenæum Press, which was a big printing company. This building was their main place for printing books. It was especially used to print many textbooks.
The building was constructed using strong methods common for factories back then. Because of its great location, it was also made to look very fancy. The front of the building looks like an Ancient Greek temple. It is made of brick, copper, and glass.
Historic Landmark
The Athenæum Press Building is very important to history. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. This means it is recognized as a special historic site.
It was one of the first big industrial buildings along the river in Cambridge. It was also the third major printing house built in the city. The other two were Harvard University Press and Riverside Press.
Building Size and Updates
The building is very large, with about 380,000 square feet (35,000 m2) of space inside. That's a lot of room! It was updated around 2005 to make it modern. Ginn & Company later became part of the Penguin Group, a very famous book publisher.
What's Inside Today?
Today, the Athenæum Press Building is home to many different businesses. As of 2019, you can find a local gym called the Cambridge Athletic Club there. Other companies include Partners HealthCare Innovation and the Lean Enterprise Institute. SAGE Therapeutics and Constellation Pharmaceuticals also have offices in the building. Many other small businesses are located there too.
Images for kids
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A statue of the goddess Athena on the building's roof.
