Elmwood, Georgian mansion in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Elmwood is a Georgian house in Cambridge, Massachusetts, built with a symmetrical facade, tall sash windows, and a central entrance pediment across three floors. The building sits on a wooded lot on Elmwood Avenue and is owned by Harvard University.
The house was built in 1767 for a prominent figure in the colonial government and later passed through the hands of several notable New England families. Harvard acquired it in the 20th century and converted it into the official residence of its president.
The name Elmwood comes from the elm trees that once lined the property, a detail that connects the building to the landscape of old Cambridge. Passersby on Elmwood Avenue often walk past without realizing they are in front of the Harvard president's home.
The building serves as a private residence and is not open to visitors, but the exterior is clearly visible from the sidewalk on Elmwood Avenue. Walking through the surrounding neighborhood gives a good sense of the historic residential area around Harvard.
One of the house's former residents was James Russell Lowell, a poet and diplomat who lived here in the 19th century and wrote part of his work within these walls. The house was listed as a National Historic Landmark partly in recognition of that literary connection.
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