The
IBM Cambridge Scientific Center, CSC, once famous for its pioneering work in
virtual machines and internetworking technology, was founded by Norm Rasmussen
on Feb. 1, 1964. Less well remembered is the role the CSC played in the development
of today’s Kendall Square as an innovation hub.
From
The Reinvention of Kendall Square By
Jim Miara: "In
the early 1960s, Kendall Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts, looked much like
the many old industrial cities across the country of the present that are
drawing the curtain on the evocative past and wondering what the next act
holds. The 43-acre (17.4-ha) district, once dense with factories that churned
out soap, vulcanized rubber, and dozens of other products, had become a
collection of forlorn, rickety structures that blighted the landscape.
“Kendall Square was a moribund
19th-century district,” said Robert Simha, director of planning emeritus at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which abuts the area. Simha
represented MIT’s interests in Kendall Square during planning discussions from
the 1960s to the 1990s. 'Companies were sliding away. People were losing jobs.
The city was losing income. The few plants that remained, like the vulcanized
rubber plant, were smelly and polluted the air.'”
The pioneering modern development
was “Technology Square.” On
Feb. 1, 1964, when the CSC was founded, the building shown below was known as
545 Technology Square. At the time, Tech Square consisted of three buildings
facing a courtyard. Since then, others have been added. The building
is practically surrounded by a substantial addition, the courtyard has been
replaced by the driveway in the foreground, the building has redesigned
windows, and its address appears to be 200 Technology Sq.
The building was home to the MIT AI Lab, MULTICS, Project MAC, and the MIT Laboratory for Computer Science.
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The building was home to the MIT AI Lab, MULTICS, Project MAC, and the MIT Laboratory for Computer Science.
Addendum: Today’s Boston Sunday
Globe (2/2/2014) includes a number of items
on Kendall Square, including “A Kendall Square Timeline” (here for
subscribers), inspiring us to send the following letter to the Editor.
Your article “A Kendall Square
Timeline” fails to mention the seminal event leading to the area's current
prominence as a research hub.
Technology Square, on Main
St., was announced in 1963 as a joint development owned by MIT and Cabot,
Cabot, and Forbes. “Now, through this unique collaboration we will be able to
provide modern facilities directly adjacent to the laboratories, libraries, and
other resources of MIT. Up until now it
has been necessary for companies desiring this association to locate as far as
eighteen miles away,” said CC&F President George W Blakeley, Jr., at the
announcement.
The first building to open was then
called 545 Technology Square (since renamed).
Initial tenants (1964) included MIT’s Project MAC and the IBM Cambridge
Scientific Center. It later became the
initial home for the MIT Laboratory for Computer Science and the MIT Artificial
Intelligence Lab. Many of the pioneering efforts leading to the internet were
performed here.
Technology Square grew to four
buildings. The previous occupant of the location was an odorous rendering
plant owned by Lever Brothers.
 |
| 545 Technology Square is Now 200 |
3 comments:
You also forgot to mention the IBM Boston Programming Center which was one floor up from the Scientific Center. BPC was founded by Jean Sammet, and, in effect, was a center of research. After it closed in December of 1970, a number of its alumni went to the IBM TJ Watson Research Center. I worked there from June 1969 through December 1970, and later also at the AI lab upstairs, and at the TJ Watson Research Center.
Also the CIA had an unmarked office on the same floor as the BPC.
Very descriptive post, I liked that a lot. Will there be a part 2?
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Can anyone remind me of the name of the IBM CSC director around 1990?
I started an Internet service for companies in the Prospect Hill Office Park in 1989. We (Prospect Innovation Center), IBM CSC and the Xerox Research Lab were the only commercial members of the NEARnet service managed by BBN. I helped MIT (Jim Bruce) and Harvard(Steve Hall) build service to the other major universities of New England. The IBM fellow was an early member of the user group which I later headed.
Jim Warner
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