Modernist Architecture tour in Cambridge, Mass
 

Most tourists who visit Boston tend to focus their attention on Boston proper - Freedom Trail, Fenway Park, MFA etc - which is understandable. I do want to draw people's attention to Cambridge, located just across the Charles River, next time they're in Boston. No where else in the world can you find such a high concentration of Modernist architecture designed by famous architects within a 2-mile radius.

Last weekend, my husband and I took a 5-hr walking tour (organized by Historic New England & Gropius House) of the Harvard & MIT area to see the modernist buildings. The tour covered 20+ buildings, all designed and built within a 30-year period, from late 1940s to 1970s. The architects include Walter Gropius, Josep Lluis Sert, Le Corbusier, Eero Saarinen, IM Pei, just to name a few.

What I'd like to do is to list the buildings (with addresses and photos), so that anyone who is remotely interested in this period of architecture can do their own walking tour.

<B><u>Harvard Sq Area</u>
Harkness Commons and Graduate Student Housing @ Harvard Law School</b>
Located at Jarvis Street off Mass Ave. Designed by Walter Gropius and The Architects' Collaborative, 1947-1950
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_I1Ix1xO4Zf...0/IMG_5591.JPG
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_I1Ix1xO4Zf...0/IMG_5594.JPG

<b>Harvard Divinity School</b>
64 Francis Avenue & 42 Francis Avenue.
64 Francis Ave is the address for Sert House, a modest home Josep Lluis Sert built for himself while he was Dean for the Harvard Graduate School of Design in the 1950s. (He succeeded Walter Gropius as the Dean.) 42 Francis Avenue is the Center for the Study of World Religions. Both buildings are part of Harvard Divinity School.

<b>Harvard Science Center & Holyoke Center</b>
1 Oxford Street & 1350 Mass Ave
Both are designed by Josep Lluis Sert in the late 60's to early '70s. You can easily tell the similarity of style between them.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_I1Ix1xO4Zf...0/IMG_5588.JPG
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_I1Ix1xO4Zf...0/IMG_5603.JPG

<b>William James Hall</b>
33 Kirkland Street
At 15-storeys tall, this is the tallest building at Harvard. It is designed by Minoru Yamasaki, best known for the twin towers of WTC.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_I1Ix1xO4Zf...0/IMG_5599.JPG

<b>Carpenter Center</b>
24 Quincy Street
Without a doubt, the most famous building at Harvard and in Cambridge. Designed by Le Corbusier, it is the only building by him in North America.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_I1Ix1xO4Zf...0/IMG_5602.JPG

<b>Architects' Corner</b>
44-48 Brattle Street
It's called the architects' corner because the 3 separate buildings (though linked together) were designed by different architects. Of the 3, #48 Brattle is the most famous, as it was the HQ of Design Research founded by Benjamin Thompson. Next to it at #44 was designed by Josep Lluis Sert. Behind these 2 buildings tucked in the courtyard, is #46 designed by Walter Gropius. It served as the HQ for TAC (The Architects' Collaborative) until TAC went bankrupt.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_I1Ix1xO4Zf...0/IMG_5605.JPG

<b>Gutman Library</b>
6 Appian Way
Designed by Benjamin Thompson, it bears some resemblance to the Design Research Building at 48 Brattle Street just around the corner.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_I1Ix1xO4Zf...0/IMG_5607.JPG

Up next is the MIT area

<b><u>MIT Area</u>
Green Building, Dreyfus Building, Landau Building, Wiesner Building</b>
These 4 buildings, clustered together, are tucked in between Mem Drive & Vassar Street near Ames Street. All are designed by I.M. Pei. What's interesting, is that these 4 buildings were built over a span of 3 decades, so we a glimpse of Pei's architecture style over the years.

Green Building is the tallest building in MIT and in Cambridge. It is also the earliest one built by Pei, in the early 1960s.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_I1Ix1xO4Zf...0/IMG_5609.JPG

To the west of Green Building, is the Dreyfus Building, constructed in the late '60s.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_I1Ix1xO4Zf...0/IMG_5610.JPG

To the NE of Green Building, is the Landau Building (aka triangle building), because one corner of the building comes to a point (acute 30 degree angle). This was built in the 70s.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_I1Ix1xO4Zf...0/IMG_5612.JPG

Lastly, though outside of the scope of our tour, across the street from Landau building is the Weisner Building designed in the 80s.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_I1Ix1xO4Zf...0/IMG_5613.JPG

<b>Baker House Dormitory</b>
362 Memorial Drive
Designed by Alvar Aalto in the late 1940s, the rooms still retain the bentwood furniture designed by Aalto himself.

<b>Kresge Auditorium and MIT Chapel</b>
48 Mass Ave
Both were designed by Eero Saarinen in the mid 1950s. Kresge Auditorium is remarkable for its seemingly weightless roof and the glass facade. The glass obviously is non-weightbearing; the concrete roof is solely supported at 3 distinct points where it touches the ground. Saarinen also designed the interior auditorium.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_I1Ix1xO4Zf...0/IMG_5616.JPG
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_I1Ix1xO4Zf...0/IMG_5618.JPG

The MIT Chapel sports a modest red brick facade. Inside is just as simple; the only decoration is a shimmering metal screen designed by Harry Bertoia.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_I1Ix1xO4Zf...0/IMG_5632.JPG
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_I1Ix1xO4Zf...0/IMG_5627.JPG

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That's it, folks. Obviously, if one has a car, I *highly recommend* a pilgrimage to Gropius House in Lincoln, Mass.
http://www.historicnewengland.org/vi...es/gropius.htm

As I've mentioned before, this tour only focuses on a very specific time period of architecture. There are plenty of older and newer architectural gems in these 2 schools' campuses, ranging from 19th century buildings by Henry Hobson Richardson, to 21st century buildings by Renzo Piano and Frank Gehry.

This is really fascinating, thanks for posting it. I have to say...these are fairly ugly buildings. Except the MIT Chapel, I think that one is pretty cool.

I was an architect working in Boston in the early sixties. I think I revered most of these buildings as they were built. Thanks.

Hi yk, you are always so generous with your time in providing great tips!

(BTW, I was at Russo's today and just now thought that you and I should wear some distinguishing item when we go so as to identify the other just in case we are there simultaneously! :) )

If you don't mind, I also must say that just as DRJ above, I found that your post was a trip down memory lane for me as well!

DH did his PhD in a bldg adjacent to the Green Bldg at MIT--in fact, if memory serves, it was being built late in the time of his studies--DS (the one who just got married on Saturday) was baptized at the MIT chapel; I took many psych courses at William James years before I went to Social Work School, and all thru the '70s, we walked past Architects' Corner at the corner of Brattle and Story Streets--literally thousands of times--to cut over to Mt. Auburn Street to go down to the tiny side street where we lived for 8 wonderful years! Thanks for the lovely memories!!

Thanks yk! great list. Maybe I'll have a chance to do this walk after the gTG in October.

china_cat, DRJ, socialworker, lcuy -

Thanks for reading and thank you for your comments. I'm glad I was able to bring back good memories for some of you!

In case anyone is interested, today's Boston Globe has an article about Design Research in Cambridge and its creators: Ben Thompson and Jane Thompson:
http://www.boston.com/ae/theater_art...store_in_1969/

And a slideshow:
http://www.boston.com/ae/theater_art...esign_research

In addition, a related short article listing stores and places where you can buy goods that was sold at D/R: http://www.boston.com/ae/theater_art...s_a_mod_world/

I am going to be making several trips to Cambridge this next year, so I also appreciate your efforts!

Very interesting articles. Being an architect would be interested of taking the same architecture tour. Would you know the website to make a reservation?
Thank you

Thank you for the listing.

Hi nicolaspaul,

Unfortunately, the tour we took was organized by Historic New England society, and it is only offered once a year in May.

Having said that, you are free to visit the exterior of all these buildings.