Cambridge Center for Adult Education

The Cambridge Center for Adult Education (CCAE), a non-profit corporation in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has been teaching adult education courses at 42 Brattle Street since taking over the building from the Cambridge Social Union in 1938.

The CCAE is housed in two historic buildings, the William Brattle House (1727) at 42 Brattle Street and the Dexter Pratt House (1808) at 54 Brattle Street.

History
The Cambridge Social Union (CSU), founded in 1871 and formally incorporated in 1876, taught classes for adults in the former Brattle house which it had moved into in 1889 after purchasing it. The courses included literacy classes and general classes taught by Harvard College and Radcliffe College students and faculty.

CSU withstood the financial troubles of the First World War and the Great Depression. However, a 1937 feasibility study showed that the organization was in trouble. In 1938, in conjunction with the Boston Center for Adult Education, the Cambridge Social Union became the Cambridge Center for Adult Education. It offered evening courses to local residents and in 1941 became an independently run organization.

Course offerings
In the spring semester of 2011, the CCAE offered courses in the following areas:


 * Arts
 * Business
 * Computers
 * Crafts
 * Dance
 * ESL
 * Events
 * Fiber Arts
 * Film, Photography and Video
 * Food
 * Fun and Games
 * History and Contemporary Issues
 * Homes and Gardens
 * Investing
 * Languages
 * Lecture Series
 * Life Issues
 * Literature
 * Mind and Body
 * Music
 * Science, Philosophy and Religion
 * Sports and Exercise
 * Theater
 * Travel
 * Wine and Spirits
 * Work Life
 * Writing