Looking west on Massachusetts Avenue, from between the intersections of Massachusetts Avenue and Essex Street and Massachusetts Avenue and Norfolk Street.
Looking north across Massachusetts Avenue, down Prospect Street, from River Street,
Looking north across Massachusetts Avenue, down Prospect Street, from River Street, 2010.

The subway from Boston to Harvard Square was completed in early 1912 (and extended to Alewife in 1984). Much as today, commuters could transfer to trolley cars (later buses), such as the one on the far left of the photograph. Also visible to the left are the Holmes Block and the Central Building.

Historic image: Boston Elevated Railway Collection, Cambridge Historical Commission, ca.1920

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.