Harvard Square is a triangular plaza formed by the meeting of Massachusetts Avenue, Brattle Street, and John F. Kennedy Street. It serves as the commercial center of the historic core of Cambridge, sitting directly adjacent to the gates of…
Harvard Yard and Square
This self-guided walk leads you through the historic gates of Harvard Yard to its oldest landmarks, prestigious libraries, and a historic mansion on Brattle Street.
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1. Harvard Square
2. Harvard Yard
Harvard Yard is a green, twenty-five-acre space in Cambridge enclosed by brick and iron fencing with twenty-seven gates. It functions as the historic core of Harvard University, containing the institution's oldest buildings, major…
3. Harvard Hall
Harvard Hall is distinguished by its brick and brownstone exterior and a prominent cupola. It sits at the edge of Harvard Yard as a classroom building, though it is the third structure to carry this name on the same site. The previous…
4. John Harvard Statue
The bronze John Harvard statue sits on a six-foot granite plinth in Harvard Yard, recognizable by its seated figure holding a book and a left shoe polished to a golden sheen by visitors. Sculpted by Daniel Chester French and unveiled in…
5. The Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library
The Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library is defined by its massive exterior, featuring a wide flight of stone steps leading up to a series of towering columns. Completed in nineteen fifteen, this building serves as the flagship of the…
6. Sever Hall
Sever Hall is a four-story, red-brick building in Harvard Yard distinguished by its rounded corner towers, steep hipped roof, and deeply recessed arched entrances. Completed in eighteen eighty, the building was designed by the American…
7. Memorial Hall
Memorial Hall rises above its neighbors with a towering, ornate silhouette of red brick, steep multi-colored tiled roofs, and sharp, pointed arches. Built between eighteen seventy and eighteen seventy-eight, this High Victorian Gothic…
8. Harvard Art Museums
The Harvard Art Museums are identified by a sweeping glass roof, known as the Lantern, that sits atop the restored masonry facade of the nineteen twenties Fogg Museum building. This structure unites three historically distinct…
9. Longfellow House-Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site
This bright yellow, wood-frame mansion at one hundred five Brattle Street stands out for its sprawling Georgian architecture and its history as the residence of two of the most significant figures in American history. Built in seventeen…