The renovation of 139 Main Street, formerly the home of the local chapter of the Red Cross, brought an historic structure into the modern world while maintaining its significant architectural elements.

The building is configured with nine suites to promote collaboration and attract tenants that support the Kendall Square innovation ecosystem. These spaces, which range in size and lease duration, are thoughtfully built to better enable reconfiguration of the building as tenant needs change. Additionally, the tenants’ spaces will be fully built out upon completion, enabling tenants to move in right away, further supporting growing companies. A progressive design was pursued to promote tenant collaboration and to maximize space utilization. Each floor contains a common kitchenette and coffee bar as well as multiple shared conference rooms. Additionally, 25% of the top floor, including the entire roof deck, is shared space for all tenants. This includes open work space, a kitchenette, and a large board room.

To preserve the traditional nature of an industrial creative building while bringing it into the modern era, original brick walls were maintained and rebuilt to ensure structural integrity, the foundation was repaired, and ceilings and beams were exposed. Brick, wood, glass, and steel are emphasized but modernized with new building management and HVAC systems, open floor plans, and upgraded amenity spaces. The project won a historical preservation award from the City of Cambridge Historical Society.