Back when Grace Kaczynski was growing up on nearby Athens St., there was a penny candy store at the corner of her block. During most of the day, horses with carts attached to them stood at both ends of the street so that even one car passing through her quiet Cambridge neighborhood was a novelty.

Meat, Fish and Vegetables

As a child, Kaczynski recalls, the only noise she heard from her house besides playing children was the shrill sound of salesmen peddling meat, fish, and vegetables from pushcart.

"It's hard to describe the rustic quality of Cambridge in those days," says Kaczynski, who moved three years ago back into the 118-year-old house her grandfather purchased just after the Civil War.

Though most residents of the Bank St. neighborhood just off Mt. Auburn St. concede that scenes of horse-drawn carts and children in the street will never return, most say they are fighting to preserve the small town feeling which still characterizes their neighborhood.

There was a time 15 years ago when Harvard andother private real estate developers drasticallyaltered the look of the streets around the BankSt. neighborhood. But since the '60s--when Harvardbuilt Mather House, Peabody Terrace, much ofQuincy House and Leverett Towers--few newstructures have been erected in Kaczynski'sneighborhood. Until now.

Building Boom

In the past year alone, three major buildingprojects have been drawn up which many residentsbelieve will spell the end of theironce-burgeoning community.

This spring Harvard will begin construction ofa 43-unit project at 10 Mt. Auburn St. Theproject, which will include three rent controlunits and 40 apartments for affiliate housing,spurned a year-long battle between the Universityand area residents over the size and appearance ofthe structure.

Across the street, Graham Gund developers areplanning to build a small shopping complex,comparable to the Galeria on JFK St., for theproperty at 17-19 Mt. Auburn St. and 4-6 Arrow St.The real estate firm hopes to build a five-story,through-block arcade with four or five stores onthe ground floor and office space in the upperlevels.

And another major development is expected to beannounced for the DeWolfe St. parking lot nowowned by St. Paul's Church. (see accompanyingstory). The church plans to lease the land toraise money for renovations of the choir school,though negotiations for a leaser have not begun.

As the commercial development of Harvard Squarecontinues to sweep towards the Bank St. area,residents hope to preserve at least part of theneighborhood's charm which has kept themthere--some for more than fifty years.

Fighting Back

In an effort to keep the neighborhood the waythey want it, area residents formed the BankStreet Neighborhood Association last year inresponse to Harvard's proposal to build anotherdormitory at 10 Mt. Auburn St. The group managedto stall Harvard's plans to demolish a 92-year-oldhotel at the site and eventually convinced theUniversity to incorporate the turreted structureinto its overall project.

Some neighborhood residents say they object toany more five-story structures and new commercialoutlets because of increased traffic andcongestion. Area residents, most of whom are thesons and daughters of Irish and German immigrants,want to keep the two-and three-story, wood-framehouses that dominate the area while keeping outtrendy, high-priced boutiques.