Sever Hall in Harvard Yard

Sever Hall, a red brick Richardsonian Romanesque building at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Sever Hall, a red brick Richardsonian Romanesque building at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

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.

Taken April 2024

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Harvard University
Harvard University: campus architecture, Harvard Book Store, student life and political flyers in Cambridge, MA
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