B B Chemical Company building

Cambridge, United States

Exterior only

Visible from the street; the inside is private.

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Situated at 784 Memorial Drive in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the B B Chemical Company building is a 1937 industrial and office structure designed by the architectural firm Coolidge, Shepley, Bulfinch & Abbott for the Boston Blacking Company, a manufacturer of adhesives best known for its Bostik brand. An exemplary local specimen of Streamline Moderne architecture, the building reflects the stylistic concerns of its era while serving industrial purposes. From 1979 to 1996, it functioned as the headquarters of the Polaroid Corporation before passing to subsequent ownership. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, though initially under the variant name "B and B Chemical Company."