{"nrhp_refnum":"73000287","name":"Old Harvard Yard","other_names":["see also:Cambridge Common Historic District","Massachusetts"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Massachusetts Ave. and Cambridge St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Cambridge","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.37509208100005,"lon":-71.12449712799997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-02-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Old Harvard Yard is a historic district of about 10 acres at Massachusetts Avenue and Cambridge Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is a tree-shaded open space defined by mostly brick dormitory and academic buildings, the earliest dating from 1718.","why_significant":"The nomination argues that Harvard College set the pace and pattern for American higher education, so the Yard holds one of the nation's most important groupings of historic college buildings. It also cites the architectural value of buildings from the 18th to 20th centuries, including work by Charles Bulfinch and McKim, Mead and White. The open space itself is described as one of the finest man-made spaces in the country.","narrative":"Old Harvard Yard is the historic core of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is a tree-shaded open space of roughly ten acres, enclosed by freestanding brick buildings of three or four stories that were built as dormitories or academic halls. Massachusetts Hall, from 1718, is the oldest, and later buildings followed over the next century and a half. Hollis Hall and Harvard Hall date from the 1760s and were built by Thomas Dawes. Stoughton Hall and University Hall, from the early 1800s, reflect designs by Charles Bulfinch. Johnson Gate belongs to the brick and iron fencing designed by McKim, Meade and White after 1889. Wadsworth House, built in 1726, served as the residence of Harvard presidents until 1849. The district was listed because Harvard led the development of American higher education and because the Yard's buildings from three centuries form a cohesive and unusually fine setting. Interiors have been remodeled, but exteriors remain intact.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Thomas Dawes (master builder); Charles Bulfinch; Governor Francis Bernard (designs for Harvard Hall); McKim, Meade and White (fencing); Daniel Chester French (John Harvard statue)","architectural_style":"Georgian, Federal, and neo-Georgian","criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition is stated as excellent and unaltered on its original site; building interiors have mostly been remodeled but exteriors remain intact. Buildings are occupied and in educational use.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:54.978504-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/3/7959/63795903/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/73000287.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73000287/357c37aa67-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73000287/357c37aa67-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"The original uploader was Mancala at English Wikipedia.","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HarvardYard.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">The original uploader was Mancala at English Wikipedia.</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HarvardYard.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63795903","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_Yard","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2838342"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/old-harvard-yard-73000287/"}