Historic New England: Cooper-Frost-Austin House

For my second major stop during my history adventure through Cambridge, MA in August 2023, I visited Cooper-Frost-Austin House, the oldest extant building in Cambridge, now owned by Historic New England (HNE). Built in 1681, members of the same family lived in the house for its entire life as a regular residence.

The extended Cooper-Frost-Austin family was made of ordinary people, and the history of the house reads as a litany of names rather than a single exciting accomplishment. Before 1657, Deacon John Cooper and his family arrived in Cambridge, where John became a prominent church member and town selectman. In 1681, Deacon Samuel Cooper, the oldest son, constructed part of the building, known as an integral lean-to house, and lived there until his death in 1718. His son, twenty-two year old Walter Cooper, Sr., expanded the house to appear symmetrical. Walter Cooper, Jr. received the house next but died at age twenty-eight. His cousin, Deacon Gideon Frost, was next in line, followed by his son William Frost; then William’s daughters Sarah “Aunt Sally” Austin and Martha Frost Austin, along with her husband Thomas Austin; then Martha’s daughter Susan Austin and her husband Richard Thomas Austin, formerly known as Rev. Reuben Seiders; and finally Martha Frost Kuhn, whose grandfather was Deacon Gideon Frost.

Our old friend, preservationist William Sumner Appleton, Jr., knew the house had historic value as a heritage property. Having recently formed Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (SPNEA), the precursor to HNE, he collected money from friends and family to buy the home. Much like HNE’s Browne House in Watertown, MA, SPNEA turned the building into a teahouse and antique shop to raise more money before continuing with a restoration. The house has operated as a museum since the 1930s, along with providing a space for housing interns or leasing to academics as needed. The building has full heating, electricity, plumbing, and a modern kitchen while retaining its historic architectural features like fireplaces in each room and the exposed chimney stack in the attic, along with classic Post Medieval designs like chamfered beams with a lamb’s tongue stop and pip on the main floor and gunstock timber frames holding up the top floors. I last saw these design features at HNE’s Pierce House in Dorchester, MA.

Cooper-Frost-Austin House is open only a few days a year. Tickets are standard HNE small house pricing at $10 for standard guests and $0 for HNE members (like me!). Metered parking is available on Massachusetts Avenue. I had previously parked at the MBTA parking garage, walked two miles to Longfellow House Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site, then walked another mile to Cooper-Frost-Austin House, which was a great time for me, but certainly not for most people. Like most historic house museums, the property is not accessible to those using wheelchairs. Stairs are steep, and the attic ceiling is low. Lighting was minimal, especially during a cloudy day. No virtual tour is currently available. This is a fascinating property for people obsessed with early American architecture, but likely is not the right experience for other visitors.

Abby Epplett’s Rating System

Experience: 6/10

Accessibility: 5/10