| Dana-Palmer House | |
| Coordinates: | 42.373°N -71.1147°W |
| Built: | 1822 |
| Architecture: | Greek Revival, Federal |
| Added: | May 19, 1986 |
| Mpsub: | Cambridge MRA |
| Refnum: | 86001682 |
The Dana-Palmer House (also known as Dana-Peabody House)[1] is an historic house in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The two-story wood-frame house was built in 1823, and is basically Federal in its styling, although it has a Greek Revival porch. The house was built on land belonging to the Dana family, and was occupied by Richard Henry Dana Sr. among others, before its acquisition by Harvard University in 1835. From 1839 to 1843 the building was used as Harvard's first astronomical observatory, before being converted for use as a residence for William Cranch Bond, the observatory's director. One of its residents of long tenure was George Herbert Palmer, who lived there for nearly forty years; others include Andrew Preston Peabody and William James.[2] In 1947 the house was moved from the site where Lamont Library currently sits to its present location across Quincy Street, and alterations made for its astronomical uses were reversed.[3]
The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. Today, Dana-Palmer House is home to Harvard's department of comparative literature.