Old Harvard Yard

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.