Brattle Street, Boston

Brattle Street, Boston

Known initially as the King's Highway and then Tory Row – ahead of the American Revolutionary War, Brattle Street in Cambridge, MA has been one of the most prestigious residential streets in the United Stated for over two centuries. Today, the street is a home to many historic buildings, ranging from the modernist glass-and-concrete edifice that once housed the Design Research store to a Georgian mansion where George Washington and the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow both resided (albeit at different times). Centuries later, Robert Lowell, another American poet, also made his home on Brattle Street.

In 1775, George Washington settled on Brattle Street, establishing his army headquarters in the abandoned mansions of seven wealthy loyalists, all of which have managed to survive the test of time. In 1913, Samuel Atkins Eliot described the seven Colonial mansions of Brattle Street's 'Tory Row' as "...not only one of the most beautiful but also one of the most historic streets in America. As a fashionable address, it is doubtful if any other residential street in this country has enjoyed such long and uninterrupted prestige."

Laden with stories of Puritanical trials, British Loyalists, and poetic talent mixed with beautiful architecture and well-manicured green space, over the centuries, Brattle Street has the given the world – courtesy of its residents – baking powder, Fig Newtons, Polaroid cameras, and Sadie Hawkins Day. Quite a remarkable leagacy for just one street!

Tip:
At No. 44, Harvest's kitchen has witnessed the culinary artistry of some of the world's finest chefs over its four-decade-long reign as the pinnacle of dining in Harvard Square. Don't miss the locale's rear patio, offering the finest al fresco dining experience in the neighborhood.

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Brattle Street on Map

Sight Name: Brattle Street
Sight Location: Boston, USA (See walking tours in Boston)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Walking Tours in Boston, Massachusetts

Create Your Own Walk in Boston

Create Your Own Walk in Boston

Creating your own self-guided walk in Boston is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Boston Shopping Areas

Boston Shopping Areas

One of the top shopping destinations in the US northeast, Boston has a strong network of interesting stores, galleries and boutiques to visit along with its many high-class shops, some of which are nestled inside historical buildings. Shopping here in more than one way mirrors the city itself: an amalgamation of classic and vanguard, the handmade and the high-end, and both local and international...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.2 Km or 2 Miles
Beacon Hill Historic Houses Tour

Beacon Hill Historic Houses Tour

Boston’s historic neighborhood of Beacon Hill is quite a charm! One can spend hours here, admiring the elegant uniformity and restraint of the architecture; at times, perhaps, imagining people from the past in their horse-drawn carriages. Federal-style and Victorian row houses, narrow streets lit by antique gas lanterns, brick sidewalks and lavender-hued windows adorn the area, which is...  view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.1 Km or 1.3 Miles
Boston Introduction Walking Tour

Boston Introduction Walking Tour

The capital of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Boston is one of the oldest cities in the United States and it had played a key role in the country's struggle for independence. Founded in 1630 by Puritan settlers from England, it witnessed many events of the American Revolution, including the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, the Battle of Bunker Hill, and the Siege of Boston.

...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.3 Km or 1.4 Miles
North End Walking Tour

North End Walking Tour

The North End was the city's first neighborhood, and one that has been key to its fortunes, having become a hub of commercial, social and intellectual activity by the 1750s. Later known as Boston's Little Italy, it has been home to Italian immigrants through much of the 20th century, and still retains a certain Mediterranean flavor in its many restaurants, cafés, and specialty shops. In...  view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.0 Km or 0.6 Miles
Bunker Hill Walking Tour

Bunker Hill Walking Tour

Bunker Hill, sitting on the bank of the Charles River in Boston, Massachusetts, is a historic site that holds great significance in American history. At its heart stands the Bunker Hill Monument, a towering obelisk commemorating the Battle of Bunker Hill, a pivotal event in the American Revolutionary War.

The battle took place on June 17, 1775, when American patriots faced off against British...  view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.5 Km or 0.9 Miles
Historical Cambridge MA Walking Tour

Historical Cambridge MA Walking Tour

Once a quiet New England farming village-turned capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, today's Cambridge, MA is a university town that dazzles visitors as the home of renowned Harvard University – alma mater of many intellectuals, literary geniuses, celebrities, and wealthy and powerful. Many of America’s elite have spent some time at Harvard, and their contributions to Cambridge have...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.5 Km or 2.2 Miles

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