William Dean Howells House (Cambridge)

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Howells, William Dean, House
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
William Dean Howells House
Location:	Cambridge, Massachusetts
Coordinates:	42°22′48.37″N 71°7′38.54″W / 42.3801028, -71.1273722Coordinates: 42°22′48.37″N 71°7′38.54″W / 42.3801028, -71.1273722
Built/Founded:	1873
Architect:	Howells,Mrs. William Dean; Groverstein,R.C.
Architectural style(s):	Second Empire, Other
Added to NRHP:	April 13, 1982
NRHP Reference#:	82001949 [1]
MPS:	Cambridge MRA
Governing body:	Private

The William Dean Howells House is a house built and occupied by American author William Dean Howells and family. It is located at 37 Concord Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The house was designed by Howell's wife, and occupied by the family from 1873-1878, after which they moved to Redtop in Belmont, Massachusetts. Authors including Mark Twain, Henry James, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Thomas Bailey Aldrich visited the Howells in this house, as did President James Garfield, and Helen Keller lived there afterwards while attending school.

This historic Cambridge residence has been divided into six units. All six units are rental apartments. Notable tenants include Leah Gillespie and Brian Crum. They have yet to entertain any presidents or (well known) authors. Notable author Eric Johnson was planning a poetry reading on the premises in the fall of 2006 but declined at the last moment due to an onset of tuberculosis. Their entertaining capabilities were greatly enhanced with the introduction of furniture during the fall of 2007.

[edit] References

• William Dean Howells (1837-1920): Chronology
• William Dean Howells, Literary Friends and Acquaintance: A Personal Retrospect of American Authorship, Harper & Brothers, 1900, page 209.
• Helen Keller, The Story of My Life: Part II. Letters (1887-1901), Letter to Mrs. Laurence Hutton, October 8, 1896.