Decorative Concrete in Cambridge and Somerville, Part 1

I mentioned previously that I wanted to document the disappearing decorative concrete from early 20th century buildings here in Cambridge, MA. Well, doing all of them would be way too ambitious, so I've backpedaled a bit: I'm just going to document everything I see when I happen to be walking around with my camera. That means I'm taking some shots in neighboring cities as well.

Over the past few days, I managed to remember my camera (I have a sieve brain) and had enough battery life to take some shots near me while walking on various errands. I think this form of decoration is under-appreciated, and I'm not sure who makes reproductions, as it's cast, not carved like stone, but I hope a lot of these examples can stick around!

Here are a few of the photos, and you can find the rest in this Flickr set.

I love the name of this apartment building, after the street it's located on. Otherwise it's a pretty classic (ha) Classical revival doorway with dentils and Doric columns. Blocks like these are all over the area, with brick with concrete accents (used to simulate stone).

I love the whimsy of Gothic elements used in a modern office block. The copper corner is a fun touch as well. Unfortunately, the first floor of this building has been re-done at least once and is pretty lackluster. But at least we have this to look at!

Look up to see the small details you miss if you just run by. The tiny rosettes are a treat, as is the vintage "Fallout Shelter" sign, one of at least a few in the neighborhood. This is in a bit of disrepair, and some of the brick in need of repointing, but I enjoy looking up at it nonetheless.

Lastly, I wanted to include this photo, as I mentioned it in the original post. As you can see, the cornice is now copper. I don't doubt that this will age into an attractive patina, however I can't help what was there before. Over the fall/winter, the brick with concrete balustrades interspersed was taken down and tossed. I do appreciate this replacement over plain, mismatched brick, but I miss was was there before. Fortunately, similar examples still exist in the area.

Thanks for reading! More to come in my Flickr set in the future, and I will post the most interesting examples and details here for your enjoyment, if you're into that sort of thing. If not, feel free to ignore future posts, but you're lame!