Image courtesy of Arrowstreet.

What: 139 Main St.
Where: Cambridge
Owner: MITIMco
Built: May 2017-May 2019 

Boston-based architectural and design firm Arrowstreet was recently named recipient of the Cambridge Historical Commission Preservation award for its work on 139 Main St. One of the last remaining pieces of Cambridge’s first-generation commercial construction, 139 Main was built in 1874 for grain dealers E.H. Luke & Sons. 

Arrowstreet designed renovations to meet the needs of Kendall Square’s current economy while preserving its past. Each floor contains collaboration space shared by separate tenants, a rare feature in local workforce design. A roof terrace affords views of MIT, the Charles River and Beacon Hill. 

Arrowstreet’s adaptive reuse of the building included reinforcing the building’s foundations and reconstructing the southeast corner facades, and restoring masonry, fenestration, stone trim and a carriageway that connects to Broad Canal. 

They Said It:
 “Arrowstreet is attracted to complex design opportunities like that of 139 Main which enable us to reimagine the historic architecture that makes Greater Boston so unique in a way that respects the area’s past, matches the workstyles of today, and anticipates the needs of the future. We are thrilled to have worked alongside MITIMco to revive and rethink one of Cambridge’s first-generation commercial buildings and to deliver a new dynamic office building with shared spaces and modern amenities that will attract bright companies looking to be located in an intellectual hotbed like Cambridge.” 

— Jim Batchelor, principal, Arrowstreet