From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
United States historic place
John Harvard statue
before west facade.
University Hall
is a white granite building designed by the great early American architect
Charles Bulfinch
and built by the noted early engineer
Loammi Baldwin, Jr.
It is located in
Harvard Yard
on the campus of
Harvard University
in
Cambridge, Massachusetts
. It was designated a
National Historic Landmark
in 1970 for its architectural significance.
[2]
The hall was designed by Bulfinch, class of 1781, and built between 1813 and 1815 of white
Chelmsford
granite, probably using rock cut to size at the
Charlestown Prison
. It consists of a partial basement story, plus three full stories raised above ground as well as an additional story set within the roofline. The long east and west facades are very similar, and symmetrically arranged with two entrances per facade, each flanked by pilasters; smaller north and south facades present rows of windows. Total construction cost was $65,000 of which $53,000 was paid by the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
.
University Hall, west facade in 1869.
University Hall's first floor contained the College Commons (dining room) until 1849. The building also contained a library and philosophical (scientific) apparatus, as well as a chapel within the second and third floors. A massive
portico
with stone pillars was added to the western facade soon after completion, but removed in 1842. In 1849 the first floor was partitioned into classrooms; in 1867 the chapel was partitioned as well. In 1896 the chapel was restored and used for meetings of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. In 1924
Daniel Chester French
's bronze
statue of John Harvard
was moved to the western facade from its original location near
Memorial Hall
.
1969 Occupation
[
edit
]
In protest of the
Vietnam War
and Harvard's connections to it, students occupied University Hall on the night of April 8 to 9, 1969, forcing out Harvard officials and staff. In the early morning hours of April 10 the occupiers were ejected and some 100 to 300 persons arrested; about 50 were injured. Students once again occupied University Hall for brief periods in 2020 and 2024, related to
fossil fuel divestment
and the
Israel-Hamas War
, respectively.
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- William Garrott Brown,
Official Guide to Harvard University
, Harvard Memorial Society, 1899, page 23.
- Douglass Shand-Tucci,
Harvard University: Campus Guide
, Princeton Architectural Press, 2001, pages 22?23.
ISBN
1-56898-280-1
.
- Bainbridge Bunting, Margaret Henderson Floyd,
Harvard: An Architectural History
, Harvard University Press, 1985.
ISBN
0-674-37290-5
.
- Harvard Magazine article
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