Gaslight District

The Gaslight District serves as a ‘piazza’ for Cambridge - a place for locals and visitors to come together to enjoy food and drink, art exhibits, and live music performances. The central square is embraced within restored stone buildings that house a mix of event and office space. Two new condominium towers feature podiums that include restaurants and shops. The space is designed to be used by people of all ages and throughout the day.

The most difficult element of this new urban district was undoubtedly the master plan. This work was overseen by Martin Simmons Sweers, who assembled an exemplary team of civil and structural engineers and landscape architects to work with the firm’s in-house architecture and planning expertise. The differing site topographies and existing buildings made this a complicated site plan. A seemingly infinite number of decisions needed an expert design eye, including which elements of the deteriorating stone existing heritage buildings should be preserved and the intricacies of effective wayfinding and signage.

Described as a new kind of urban park in Cambridge, the Gaslight District features a large public square with a permanent stage and a large outdoor video screen for hosting free community events. In addition, two hospitality venues were created on-site: the Foundry Tavern and Underwing. Both have garnered fantastic reviews since opening and have already attracted a burgeoning base of loyal patrons.

The Foundry Tavern offers a finessed flair on familiar dishes to gather around with friends and family for Sunday Brunch or a late night snack, while guests at the Underwing speakeasy delight in curated cocktails, an inventive rotational menu, live music, or DJs, all within an atmosphere exuding relaxed sophistication.