"What we really care about is that the exterior remains unchanged," he said. "We're afraid that the plans include having decks,...garages and such added on, and we hope that can be stopped."

Though Fried said he would welcome the new tenants to the neighborhood, he said he hoped they would recognize and preserve the historical character of the house.

"It's very nice when people move in, but we'd like no change on the exterior," he said.

New residents' impact in the community is a concern to others on Irving Street.

"It would be nicer if it had been bought by Harvard--this is a very old academic community, it has been for many decades, and it could have been used for academic purposes," said Marian C. Schlesinger, who lives a few houses down.

Under Cambridge city law, residents have several means to stop or delay construction or renovation of a home or commercial building.

In the case of the James house, residents hired a lawyer, Tom Bracken, to take their case to both the board of zoning and planning and the Cambridge Historical Commission.