Harvard renews Dunster House

House Renewal reaches a whole new scale.

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.

You might also like

Landscape Architect Julie Bargmann Transforming Forgotten Urban Sites

Julie Bargmann and her D.I.R.T. Studio give new life to abandoned mines, car plants, and more.

Best Bars for Seasonal Drinks and Snacks in Greater Boston

Gathering spots that warm and delight us  

Preserving the History of Jim Crow Era Safe Havens

Architectural historian Catherine Zipf is building a database of Green Book sites.  

Most popular

Harvard Symposium Tackles 400 Years of Homelessness in America

Professors explore the history of homelessness in the U.S., from colonial poor laws to today’s housing crisis

Why Do We Still Have the Electoral College?

Historian Alexander Keyssar on why the unpopular institution has prevailed 

Explore More From Current Issue

Two women in traditional Japanese clothing sitting on a wooden platform near a tranquil pond, surrounded by autumn foliage.

Japan As It Never Will Be Again

Harvard’s Stillman collection showcases glimpses of the Meiji era. 

A woman (Julia Child) struggles to carry a tall stack of books while approaching a building.

Highlights from Harvard’s Past

The rise of Cambridge cyclists, a lettuce boycott, and Julia Child’s cookbooks

Illustration of tiny doctors working inside a large nose against a turquoise background.

A Flu Vaccine That Actually Works

Next-gen vaccines delivered directly to the site of infection are far more effective than existing shots.