Margaret Fuller Neighborhood House (MFNH)
Revitalization Project
PROJECT CONTEXT AND GOALS
The Margaret Fuller Neighborhood House and the CRA are working in partnership to bring new housing to MFNH's parking lot site in the Port, and redevelop MFNH's food pantry, and community advancement facilities, including upgrading its historic house. This project is aligned with the CRA's growing work to support affordable housing and social services in the City, using tools and strategies not readily available to other government agencies or nonprofits.
The Goals Of The Project Are To:
Margaret Fuller Neighborhood House on 71 Cherry Street.
Apply the value of undeveloped land currently owned by the MFNH and used as a surface parking lot, to expand the organization’s operational capacity, and to strengthen its programs.
Strengthen MFNH’s immediate and long-term financial position to ensure the organization’s financial sustainability in the future.
Reinvest in the historic 1807 MFNH building to enable it to remain a celebrated landmark in the neighborhood.
Provide a modern, flexible new pantry and community meeting space facility that can accommodate MFNH programming.
Supply affordable homeownership housing units for the Cambridge community.
PLANS, REPORTS, & MEETINGS
Meeting Feb 19, 2025
Meeting Transcript
TIMELINE
Spring 2024
Sign MOU with MFNH to jointly plan the project.
Summer 2024
Re-engage Architects and Consultants.
August 2024
Start of Schematic Design.
September 2024
Decide on Pantry Space Needs and Historic Renovation Plan.
October 2024
~ CRA Staff Volunteer at MFNH Pantry
~ Website update
November 2024
~ Launch of Monthly Newsletter.
December 2024
Itemize historic house renovation options.
January 2025
~ Sign Development Agreement with MFNH.
~ Select a Development Partner to deliver the project.
February 2025
~ Conduct MFNH Pantry Guests Survey.
~ Host first AHO Meeting
~ Release Developer RFI
Spring 2025
~ Finish Design Development Stage
~ Host Additional AHO Meetings
~ Begin Development Partner Solicitation Process
Summer 2025
Submit Construction Drawings.
Winter 2025
Begin Construction.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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A temporary pantry location will be given when renovations start. Contact MFNH for more information.
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The overall improvements will be released once a renovation plan is chosen.
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Currently, the construction phase is anticipated to begin in 2026 and continue through the end of 2027.
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Some of the projects will coincide with The Port Infrastructure Project which will include stormwater and streetscape improvements.
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How many units will be available?
The goal is to deliver approximately 10 units of affordable homeownership housing. However, during the current schematic design phase, opportunities to increase the number of units are being investigated.
Who is eligible to apply for affordable housing?
The affordable housing component will be allocated in accordance with the Affordable Housing Overlay (AHO) Ordinance which assigns the Cambridge Community Development Department guidelines for awards.
Currently, the affordable housing component of the project is envisioned over the existing MFNH parking lot. The availability of quality housing will maintain the neighborhood's residential character while offering the opportunity for families and households to join a thriving community.
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Yes! MFNH and CRA are engaged in a multi-layered community engagement plan that seeks to gain perspectives from pantry guests, MFNH abutters, Port neighborhood residents, and the broader Cambridge community.
We are doing this through multiple channels:
Hosting several meetings through the AHO process to inform the community of the overall project, particularly on the housing component
Conducting on-site and online surveys with pantry guests to understand their needs to develop a better pantry
Contacting abutters (in accordance with the Zoning Ordinance) to inform them of the initial project components and gain perspective on possible concerns and solutions
A monthly newsletter detailing the current project status and to communicate any concerns that may have impacts during construction.
A continuously updated website that informs closer to real-time on the project and archives prior meetings and notes from neighbors.
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Currently, the funding is composed of a direct CRA equity payment along with some funds from Biomed Realty.
Additionally, MFNH fundraising and pursuing additional grants, Historic Tax Credits and money from Cambridge’s Community Preservation Act funds through the Cambridge Historic Commission.
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Delivery of a new renovated, accessible pantry. Newly restored historic house. At least 10,000 square feet of affordable homeownership housing.
PROJECT HISTORY
Margaret Fuller Neighborhood House (MFNH) has provided social services and community connection from the historic home it owns at 71 Cherry Street since 1902.
Graduating Cohort from our Tech Goes Home Computer Training in 2023
Scenes from our '23 Winter Festival
MFNH Staff preparing for our first mobile Food Pantry Delivery to the Frank J. Manning Apartments in Cambridge.
Since 2018, the CRA and the MFNH have been exploring options to develop a moderate-scale housing development on an approximately 9,000 square foot surface parking lot owned by MFNH. This project would provide revenue that would allow MFNH to make improvements to the interior of its historic house to better support its programs, and to construct a new social services facility to replace the basement-level structure that now sits adjacent to the house, potentially utilizing portions of that existing structure. The CRA and the MFNH have entered into a Cooperation Agreement in order to:
Supply affordable housing for the Cambridge community.
Apply the value of undeveloped land owned by MFNH (Parking Lot) to expand the organization’s capacity, and strengthen and grow programs.
Strengthen MFNH’s immediate and long-term financial position and improve its community-serving facilities.
In August 2019, Studio G was selected as the project architect. Studio G is mission-driven, bringing a depth of experience in nonprofit building projects. They have expertise in designing housing, childcare and social service facilities, and nonprofit offices. Studio G also brings expertise in "green" building and historic preservation.
With their help, the MFNH and CRA are considering a project that would include:
Construction of new affordable housing,
Renovations to the historic house,
Development of a new addition next door to the existing house.
MFNH’s administrative offices, community library, and computer lab are located in the historic home. The pantry has recently been re-located in the basement/garden level structure built adjacent to the historic home. 16,000 individuals and families collect food from the pantry each year.
MFNH has conducted repairs as needed to the house, but has not conducted any major renovations in the recent past. The house does not have air conditioning. Other systems may be near the end of their useful life. Additionally, the pantry addition and the offices in the house itself are not currently accessible to those with physical disabilities.
MFNH BACKGROUND
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Project Partners:
Margaret Fuller Neighborhood House (MFNH)
Architect:
Studio G
Neigborhood location:
The Port
OPM Consultant:
Socotec
Historic Consultant:
Epsilon
Year Started:
2019 -
Alex Cardelle, ext 20, acardelle@cambridgeredevelopment.org
This Project In the News
The only known photograph of Margaret Fuller, c 1846.
The only known photograph of Margaret Fuller, c 1846.
Home to Margaret Fuller until the age of 16, the three-story, Federal-style house at 71 Cherry Street was built in 1807. Fuller was born in 1810, and was considered a prodigy, reading Latin by age six. In 1845 she published Women in the 19th Century, which was extremely influential in the feminist movement of the 18th Century. (Source: https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/pwwmh/ma59.htm)
In 1902, the home was reinvented as the Margaret Fuller Neighborhood House, becoming one of the first settlement houses in the United States, and serving the social needs of recent immigrant families in the Port neighborhood of Cambridge. This was at the height of the industrial revolution and Cambridge’s local factories were staffed mostly by recent immigrants. Their living conditions, in boarding and tenement houses, were often overcrowded and unhealthy. In keeping with the spirit of the Settlement House movement, MFNH was designed as an outpost of education and culture for these workers.
Today, MFNH serves as a central hub for the Port neighborhood and beyond. It offers adult enrichment programs, after-school programs, community outreach, a computer lab, a community library, and a food pantry.
CONTACT
For more information about the programs that the Margaret Fuller Neighborhood House offers, please call them directly: Margaret Fuller Neighborhood House 617-547-4680
