The Hooper-Lee-Nichols House is located on the traditional homelands of the Massachusetts people. We acknowledge that we are here as guests, and strive to give honor and respect to these ancestors as well as the thousands of Native people living in the Commonwealth today.
The original section of this building was built in the late 17th century, making it the second oldest house in Cambridge and one of the oldest houses in New England. From its location on Brattle Street, it has witnessed over 300 years of American history.
We know about the history of the white families that lived in the HLN House. However, less is known about the servants and enslaved people associated with house and the land. To learn more about the enslaved people associated with the HLN, please read Brief History of the Hooper-Lee-Nichols House and Enslaved People.
The building was donated to the Cambridge Historical Society in 1957 by Frances Emerson and has been our headquarters ever since. Today the Hooper-Lee-Nichols House houses our staff offices and special collection archives.
Like any building that has been lived in for over 300 years, the Hooper-Lee-Nichols House has been changed by its residents over the years and modified repeatedly to meet the style of the day. Interested in its architectural history? Read Rediscovering the Hooper-Lee-Nichols House (Cambridge Historical Society, 2010)
Owners of the HLN House
Owner from 1733 to 1758
Usually described as a Boston merchant, Waldo bought the house from Henry in 1733 and owned it for the rest of his life, although there is no record of him having lived in the house. He made a number of improvements, including casing of exposed beams, and possibly added paneling and moldings in some rooms. In 1742 Waldo placed a “to be lett” advertisement in the Boston Newsletter for a “house with gardens and other accommodations to a gentleman for a country seat…” His widow sold the house in 1758.
Waldo had ties through his family to the slave trade, and he himself enslaved people. We have three direct references to Cornelius’ slave ownership; two of these are recorded in his ledger books and reproduced online by a vendor of antique documents. In 1728 Cornelius noted payments made during travel to Worcester with his wife and “my Negro man Cesar to attend us.” On February 22, 1742, his ledger shows “a bond for the sale of a Negro Boy named Prince to Daniel Rea, Taylor (tailor.)” Cornelius inserted the word “named” above his text, possibly as an afterthought. Further details show Rea paid 130 pounds and that Prince was then in Rea’s possession. Cornelius warranted the “Boy to him from the Demands of any Person or Persons whatsoever.”
The third reference to his slave ownership occurred after Cornelius’s death in 1753. The probate document for his estate stated that he owned “one ‘Negro Woman’ probably a slave, who was valued at 200 pounds.” This amount was half the price of his house and land in Boston.
We have no direct evidence that an enslaved person ever lived in the house from 1733 until it was sold in 1758. But it was of course entirely possible.
Owner 1758 to 1802
Born in 1710 or 11, the records of his Harvard class of 1729 describe him as “one of the more disorderly members of a quiet class.” Like others of his time, he was a merchant, and a land speculator. He married Rebecca, the youngest daughter of Lieutenant Governor Spencer Phipps, in 1755. Three years later they moved into the Brattle Street house.
According to available records, the Lees enslaved two people while at 159 Brattle: Cesar and a man named Mark Lewis. Read more here.
In 1769, Judge Lee was appointed to the Court of Common Pleas, but when considered for a permanent appointment was rejected as being unfit. Lee was elected to the House of Representatives, but was denied reelection in 1766. He then accepted an appointment to the most controversial and reviled governing body in the colony, the Mandamus Council, a group appointed by the king in 1774 to replace the elected officials. However, when citizens gathered to protest against this council, Lee resigned.
Following the Battle of Lexington and Concord, Judge Lee sought protection in British-held Boston and then later in Philadelphia and New Jersey. However, unlike the other Cambridge Tories, two years later he was back in Cambridge, reclaiming his house after the departure of the Continental Army. He lived out the rest of his life in Cambridge and worked for the new American government.
Explore the Rooms of the HLN House


Rent the Hooper-Lee-Nichols House
The Hooper-Lee-Nichols House is one of the oldest houses in Cambridge, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Built in 1685 and transformed into a Georgian mansion in the 1730s, the house is an architectural and social history treasure.
Depending on the type of event, capacity ranges from 40-100 people. Please contact us to discuss your rental needs at 617-547-4252 or info@cambridgehistory.org.