March 27 History Café: “Once Almost an Island”

“Once Almost an Island”: Changes in the East Cambridge Landscape

Thursday, March 27
Doors open at 5 pm
Program from 6-7 pm
First Street Market, 59 First Street
Free
Food and beverages available for purchase

Over the course of several centuries, the East Cambridge neighborhood has undergone many changes, especially its landscape and topography. Once a “near-island” separated from the rest of Cambridge by rivers and tidal marshes, the area began to change in earnest in the early 1800s, when Andrew Craigie and the Lechmere Point Corporation purchased much of the land, surveyed it, and sold it off as individual parcels for homes and industries. The leveling, grading, and filling that accompanied this process underpinned the neighborhood’s economic, political, and demographic development for the next two hundred years.

Join us for an interactive History Café discussing what East Cambridge looked like before the arrival of English colonists, how its landscape has evolved over the past four centuries, and what those changes mean for the East Cambridge of today.

About the presenters

Conrad Crawford serves as the Environmental Justice Liaison and Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game. Conrad’s work has spanned the legislative and executive branches of Massachusetts state and municipal government, including senior management roles in statewide agencies, public policy research, and executive roles in local and statewide environmental non-profits. Conrad served in the MassDOT public affairs office, then led the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Office of External Affairs. After leaving state government, Conrad headed the launch of The Trustees of Reservations Boston Region, incorporating over 60 Community Gardens into a statewide land stewardship platform, opening their Boston Public Market programs, and developing the organization’s strategy for urban land preservation, now the Trustees’ One Waterfront Initiative. He has recently focused primarily in Cambridge and Somerville, advising on the advancement of regional watershed initiatives, urban greenspace efforts, and supporting leadership transitions at local environmental organizations.

Dennis Carlone is a former two-term member of the Cambridge City Council, where he earned recognition as an advocate for social justice through his expertise in citywide planning, transit policy, and sustainability initiatives. In addition to serving on the council, Dennis has worked as a planner, architect, and urban design consultant since 1970. His firm, Carlone & Associates, has advised the City of Cambridge and its Planning Board, as well as other municipalities such as Boston, Chelsea, Plymouth, and Winchester, as well as public and private institutions. Dennis has been recognized with numerous awards for urban design, architecture, landscape architecture, planning and implementation strategies at the local, regional, and national levels. Most notably, he was the recipient of the American Institute of Architects award for Excellence in Urban Design for the design and implementation of the East Cambridge Riverfront Plan.

Laura Jasinski is Executive Director of the Charles River Conservancy. Laura believes that public parks are the heartbeat of civic life— where community, environment, innovation, recreation, and culture collide. She has spent 15 years working in the development and activation of urban open space and community engagement. She has also served as the Associate Director of the Boston Waterfront Initiative for The Trustees of Reservations, an effort to build world-class, resilient open space on the Boston Harbor, and as the Director of Programs and Planning for the Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy where she managed capital improvements, public art installations, and hundreds of public programs. Laura holds a BA in Architectural Studies and an MA in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning from Tufts University, where her graduate work focused on universal design and best practices in creating inclusive public spaces.