Harvard Yard, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is the oldest part of the Harvard University campus, its historic center and modern crossroads. It contains most of the freshman dormitories, Harvard's most important libraries, Memorial Church, several classroom and departmental buildings, and the offices of senior University officials including the President of Harvard University.
Harvard Square is a triangular plaza at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue, Brattle Street and John F. Kennedy Street near the center of Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. The term "Harvard Square" is also used to delineate the business district and Harvard University surrounding that intersection, which is the historic center of Cambridge. Adjacent to Harvard Yard, the historic heart of Harvard University, the Square functions as a commercial center for Harvard students, as well as residents of western Cambridge, the western and northern neighborhoods and the inner suburbs of Boston. The Square is served by Harvard station, a major MBTA Red Line subway and a bus transportation hub.
The Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian (CfA), previously known as the Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, is an astrophysics research institute jointly operated by the Harvard College Observatory and Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. Founded in 1973 and headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, the CfA leads a broad program of research in astronomy, astrophysics, Earth and space sciences, as well as science education. The CfA either leads or participates in the development and operations of more than fifteen ground- and space-based astronomical research observatories across the electromagnetic spectrum, including the forthcoming Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) and the Chandra X-ray Observatory, one of NASA's Great Observatories.
Royall Tyler was an American jurist, teacher and playwright. He was born in Boston, graduated from Harvard University in 1776, and then served in the Massachusetts militia during the American Revolution. He was admitted to the bar in 1780, became a lawyer, and fathered eleven children. In 1801, he was appointed a Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court. He wrote a play, The Contrast, which was produced in 1787 in New York City, shortly after George Washington's inauguration. It is considered the first American comedy. Washington attended the production, which was well-received, and Tyler became a literary celebrity.
Joseph Palmer was an English-American general during the American Revolutionary War, beginning with the Siege of Boston and the Battle of Lexington. A Cambridge Committee of Safety member, he issued the Lexington Alarm dispatch for Israel Bissell to ride to warn that the war with Britain had begun. Palmer went on intelligence-gathering missions in Vermont and Rhode Island. George Washington issued letters of commendation to Palmer for his service.
Christ Church, at Zero Garden Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., is a parish of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts. Built in 1760–61, it was designated a National Historic Landmark as one of the few buildings unambiguously attributable to Peter Harrison, the first formally trained architect to work in the British colonies.
Memorial Hall, immediately north of Harvard Yard in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is an imposing High Victorian Gothic building honoring Harvard men's sacrifices in defense of the Union during the American Civil War—"a symbol of Boston's commitment to the Unionist cause and the abolitionist movement in America."
The Dearborn Observatory is an astronomical observatory located on the Evanston campus of Northwestern University. The observatory was originally constructed in 1888, through an agreement between the university and the Chicago Astronomical Society. In the summer of 1939, Dearborn Observatory had to be moved to make way for the construction of the Technological Institute.
The Ephraim Atwood House is an historic house at 110 Hancock Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Built in 1839, it is a significant local example of transitional Greek Revival/Gothic Revival architecture, and one of the earliest houses built after the subdivision of Dana Hill. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 30, 1983.
The Beck-Warren House, also known as the Warren House, is a historic house located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Now on the campus of Harvard University, this large Greek Revival wood-frame house was built in 1833 for Professor Charles Beck, and was later purchased and adapted by the physically disabled Henry Clarke Warren, a Sanskrit scholar. Since 1899 it has belonged to Harvard University, for whom it presently houses offices. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.
The Church of the New Jerusalem is a historic Swedenborgian church at 50 Quincy Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts, near Harvard University. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
The Building at 104–106 Hancock Street is an historic cottage in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Built in 1839, it is a significant local example of transitional Greek Revival/Gothic Revival architecture, and one of the earliest houses built after the subdivision of Dana Hill. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
The Harvard Street Historic District is a historic district on Harvard Street between Ellery and Hancock Streets in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It includes houses on both sides of the street, numbered from 335 to 344 inclusive, an area that marks the summit of Dana Hill. Harvard Street was laid out as a direct route from "Old Cambridge" to Boston in the early 1800s, and was run over Dana Hill over the objection of Judge Francis Dana, whose estate sat on top of the hill. The street was developed over the 19th century with a succession of high-quality houses.
The William R. Jones House is an historic house at 307 Harvard Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is a 2+1⁄2-story wood-frame house, whose Second Empire styling includes a flared mansard roof and flushboarded siding scored to resemble ashlar stone. It has a rare example in Cambridge of a curvilinear front gable, in which is an oculus window. Its windows are topped by heavy decorative hoods, and the porch features square posts with large decorative brackets. The house was built c. 1865 for William R. Jones, a soap manufacturer, and typifies the houses that were built lining Harvard Street in the 19th century after the Dana estate was subdivided.
Opposition House is an historic double house in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The two story hip-roofed wood-frame house was built in 1807 by Judge Francis Dana, who was seeking to prevent the laying of Harvard Street across his estate, making it a kind of spite house. Dana's efforts were unsuccessful; the road was routed around this house, which he had sited along the intended route. The house was moved to its present location in the 1860s. It is the oldest surviving house on Dana Hill.
The University Museum is a historic building that houses several museums belonging to Harvard University. The building is located at 24-28 Oxford Street and 11-25 Divinity Avenue in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It houses both the Harvard Museum of Natural History at 26 Oxford Street, and the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at 11 Divinity Avenue, as well as several departments of Harvard's Museum of Comparative Zoology and the Mineralogical & Geological Museum.
The Treadwell-Sparks House is an historic house at 21 Kirkland Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Built in 1838, it is a good local example of Greek Revival architecture, further notable as the home of historian Jared Sparks. Now owned by Harvard University, it was moved to its present location in 1968, and is used for professor housing. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.
The Sears Tower—Harvard Observatory is a historic astronomical observatory that is part of Harvard Observatory and is located at 60 Garden Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Now just a portion of the observatory's Building A, the Sears Tower is the oldest portion of the complex, designed by Isaiah Rogers and constructed in 1843. This structure is a square brick building, with a projecting cornice and a Greek Revival entrance framed by pilasters. The dome was equipped with a 15-inch telescope, the state of the art at the time.
The Society of the Congregational Church of Great Barrington is an historic church building and parish house located at 241 and 251 Main Street in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. It is the fourth church of a congregation whose first meetings were held in 1743.
The Unitarian Universalist Church of Medford and The Osgood House are a historic Unitarian Universalist church building and parsonage house at 141 and 147 High Street in Medford, Massachusetts.
