The neoclassical brick facade of Emerson Hall, located in Harvard Yard, is framed by early spring light in this photograph. Completed in 1900 and designed by Guy Lowell, the building houses Harvard’s Department of Philosophy and is named after transcendentalist writer and alumnus Ralph Waldo Emerson. Its symmetrical design features Ionic pilasters, limestone trim, and a grand central staircase leading to wooden double doors. Emerson Hall stands as a quiet academic landmark amid the historic core of Harvard University, reflecting the campus’s architectural balance between formality and contemplation.

Designed by Henry Hobson Richardson and completed in 1880, Sever Hall stands as one of the most distinguished examples of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture on the Harvard campus. Built from over 1.3 million red bricks with intricate recessed patterns and rounded turrets, the building’s symmetrical form and arched entrance exemplify Richardson’s mastery of proportion and texture. Located in Harvard Yard, Sever Hall has long served as a classroom building for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Its distinctive masonry and quietly monumental design earned it recognition as one of the architect’s finest works and a National Historic Landmark.