The historic photograph captures a bustling time at the Holmes Block and in the neighboring buildings. Shops include a bank, a florist, a barber, a billiard parlor, a smoke shop, and a hardware store, as well as an early Chinese restaurant, advertising its chop suey. Although most of the Holmes Block is gone, a small piece of the historic façade is retained in the entrance to the present CVS.

Historic image: Cambridge City Engineering Department Collection, Cambridge Historical Commission, June 25, 1919

Photograph: Phyllis Bretholtz, 2010

“Central Square: Then and Now” portrays the history and vibrancy of Central Square over the past century. The project is a collaboration of the Clear Conscience Café, the Cambridge Historical Society, the Cambridge Historical Commission, and Phyllis Bretholtz.