City of Cambridge – City Hall

Cambridge City Hall is the seat of city government in Central Square, housing offices for the City Council, the city manager and several municipal departments. The three-story building was built between 1888 and 1889 and was largely a donation from Frederick Hastings Rindge. Its load-bearing stone walls are Milford granite trimmed with Longmeadow brownstone, and its bell tower rises to 158 feet.

The architects were the firm of Longfellow, Alden and Harlow, whose partners were Alexander Wadsworth Longfellow Jr., Frank E. Alden and Alfred B. Harlow. The design follows the Romanesque Revival style popular in American civic buildings of the late nineteenth century. More than 130 years after its completion, the building is still where the city’s elected council and its manager do their work.

What to Know

• Cambridge operates under a council-manager form of government.
• Residents can file service requests for issues like potholes or missed trash pickups through the City’s SeeClickFix system.
• City Hall is listed by the Harvard Square Business Association.