139 Main Street

139 Main Street is one of the last remaining pieces of first-generation commercial construction in the City of Cambridge. This historic landmark, formerly known as the Luke Building, was built in 1874 as the home to E.H. Luke & Sons, dealers in grain, meal, hay, and straw.

Arrowstreet’s adaptive reuse of the building included core & shell upgrades and an interior fit out as a multi-use office building. The renovated building now serves small tenants (approximately 2,000-8,000 SF) interested in a collaborative work-space model within proximity to MIT and the strong innovation economy of Kendall Square. The design builds on a Collaboration-for-Innovation spirit that is the dynamic driving these industries—each floor offers collaboration space and there are building-wide amenities including a roof terrace with stunning views of MIT, the surrounding mixed commercial and residential uses, and beyond that, the Charles River, Beacon Hill, and the Statehouse.

This adaptive reuse included re-enforcing the building’s foundations and reconstructing the southeast corner facades due to serious settlement imperiling the foundations and brick walls. The team meticulously restored the masonry, original fenestration, stone trim details, and the historic carriageway (originally for hay wagons) that provided a connection through to the canal behind.