3 The New York Years (1931–1953)

310 9 Ernst Mayr—the Man
health into an advanced age. Moreover, the Farm enabled him to concentrate on
his writings for long periods unlike any other place.
Residence in Cambridge, Massachusetts
During the first 6 years of their residence in Cambridge, Massachusetts the Mayrs
rented an apartment, at first at 33 Washington Avenue and, from November 1955
onward, next door at 21A Washington Avenue, where they had an extra room
and he had a study. In 1959, they moved into their spacious home at 11 Chauncy
Street, the home with the yellow front and back doors (“Gretel liked them this
way,” Ernst said, Fig. 9.6), within a short walking distance of the Museum of
Comparative Zoology. Here the Mayrs entertained many visitors from other parts
oftheUnitedStatesandfromEurope,especiallyGermany;e.g.,J.Huxley,E.B.Ford,
J. M. Marshall, E. Stresemann, B. Rensch, K. Lorenz, H. Löhrl and G. Kramer.
The elder daughter, Christa, had finished high school in Tenafly and after 2 years
at Swarthmore College, spent a year at the University of Munich, Germany, attending
classes in biology. In 1956, she married a German co-student, Gerhart Menzel,
who became a nuclear engineer. They continued living in Germany for several
years until moving to the United States. Once their three children were in school
Christa obtained a bachelor’s degree at the University of Hartford (Connecticut)
and was hired as an adjunct instructor by the Department of Biology to teach laboratory
sections for many years. The younger daughter, Susanne, graduated from
Boston University, became a special education teacher at Concord Carlisle High
School in Massachusetts. She also married and has two children. Both daughters
Fig.9.6. 11 Chauncy Street, home of the Mayr family in Cambridge, Massachusetts (photograph
courtesy of Mrs. S. Harrison)