Sever Hall brick facade, Harvard Yard

Sever Hall in Harvard Yard, Cambridge, with its red brick Richardsonian Romanesque facade.
Sever Hall in Harvard Yard, Cambridge, with its red brick Richardsonian Romanesque facade.

Sever Hall sits in Harvard Yard in Cambridge, Massachusetts, completed in 1880 to a design by architect Henry Hobson Richardson. It's built almost entirely of brick, including its ornamental detailing, a choice Richardson made partly to keep costs down while still achieving the sculptural texture associated with his Romanesque style. The building was a gift of Anne Sever in memory of her husband, Civil War general James Warren Sever. It has served as a classroom and lecture hall building for Harvard College since it opened, and the entrance archway is known for an unusual whispering-gallery acoustic effect.

Photo taken in April 2024.

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