Architecture & Design | August 15, 2014

Harvard renews Dunster House

House Renewal reaches a whole new scale.

From The September-October 2014 Issue

Having practiced the art and craft of House renewal on parts of Quincy and Leverett houses, the College is now renovating an entire undergraduate residence. As soon as students decamped, the scaffolding went up, construction workers began stripping the roof and removing obsolete interior fixtures, and the courtyard was converted into a staging area for heavy equipment and building materials: the grass gave way to gravel and the iron gate facing the Charles River was removed for safekeeping (with the supporting towers protectively boxed). After a year-long diaspora—in part in the repurposed Inn at Harvard, which will have a swing-space dining hall—students should move back into their remade quarters in time for classes in September 2015.

Published in the September-October 2014 print issue under the headline “Dunster Deconstruction,” in the John Harvard's Journal section.

You might also like

J. Max Bond wearing a grey suit and a red tie, holding drafting tools with an image of a building design behind him

How J. Max Bond Jr. Honored Black History Through Architecture

A new book explores the Harvard-trained architect’s vision and impact, from Ground Zero to the Smithsonian.

Several people are holding a large ribbon for a ceremony outside a modern building.

Harvard and City Leaders Celebrate ERC Opening

Phase A of the Allston project includes a hotel, residences, and a two-acre greenway.

Star-filled night sky with the Milky Way arching over a rocky silhouette.

We’re Thinking About Darkness All Wrong

There’s a growing movement to curb light pollution. It starts on your front porch.

Most popular

White House and Harvard University buildings split diagonally with contrasting colors.

Harvard Weathers a Year of Turmoil

The federal government has launched unprecedented actions against the University. Here’s a guide.

Two mounted pheasants displayed on a stand against a gray background.

Lafayette’s Unexpected Gift to George Washington: Pheasants

The two birds will be on display at Harvard this summer.

Stone building with tall columns, steps leading up, and a flag atop under a cloudy sky.

Harvard Agrees to $53 Million Settlement in Body Parts Theft Case

The University will compensate families of those whose remains were sold and establish a scholarship to honor anatomical donors.

Explore More From Current Issue

A smiling elderly man in glasses sits comfortably in a striped armchair.

Harvard Administration

Plus, veteran higher education leader Thomas Ehrlich reflects on university curricula for his 70th reunion

Three actors perform on stage, with one actor interacting closely with another, set against abstract backgrounds.

Arts & Culture

The play Spare Parts is a contemporary fable about the quest to live forever.

Portrait of a man in a denim shirt beside a blue book cover for "Gretal and the Great War" featuring an illustration of a leg holding an army helmet..

Arts & Culture

The Gretel and the Great War author on how the Lampoon derailed his science career—and set him on a literary path.