AAVSO On the Move!
From 25 Birch Street ...
On August 6, 1986, the AAVSO formally opened its new Headquarters at 25
Birch Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts. The building was dedicated as the
Clinton B. Ford Astronomical Data and Research Center in honor of the
AAVSO's long-time Secretary. This was the fulfillment of a dream--especially
after 30 years of renting office space--that one day the AAVSO would own its
Headquarters site.
After twenty years of progress and growth at the Birch Street Headquarters,
the AAVSO found itself once again needing to economize office space. The
500-plus boxes of computer cards were finally declared redundant and were
discarded, but network servers, stock publications, supplies, and more
filing cabinets took their place; the library and serials shelves were
filled to capacity, the spacious meeting room became the location of five
computer work stations, and any remaining floor space was given over to
archival storage. Furthermore, anything kept in the building's lower
level--especially archival material--was subject to flooding damage: during
the twenty years of occupancy, there have been two "10-year storms" during
which two to four inches of water accumulated faster than it could be pumped
out. Water damage to papers and equipment was minimal--most being on pallets
or raised shelving--but much staff time and labor was expended in moving
boxes, shelves, and equipment, so that the floor, carpet, and lower walls
could be dried and sanitized. Aside from all of this, there were many
ongoing maintenance issues which any owner of an older home would recognize:
roofing and plumbing problems, replacement of one of the two furnaces, and
so on.
