The area surrounding MIT’s Cambridge campus has always been home to industry and manufacturing.
But although the companies in today’s Kendall Square innovation cluster share the same spirit of commerce as their 19th-century predecessors, their products and services have changed with the times—less cutting of wood and metal, and more cutting-edge innovation in health care, computing, and communications.
Here’s a look at things stamped “Made in Kendall,” then and now:
| 1814–1914 | Today |
|---|---|
| Candy Steam boilers Fire hoses Paper Furniture Ladders Barrels Soap Bicycle tires Glass Coffins Bricks |
Candy Biotechnology and pharmaceutical research Medical devices Energy storage systems High-performance database management systems Software Mobile apps and games Cloud computing, hosting, and technology Internet content delivery networks Social media and marketing services Venture capital investments Start-up, innovation, and lab incubators |
Read more: Kendall Square: History in the Making.
I worked at the Fenton shoe factory in the early 60s.