Arts join sciences in Harvard Allston

Alongside a huge applied-sciences center, a toehold for art-making

Photograph from the OxBlue Construction Cameras

Though attention rightly focuses on the engineering and applied sciences complex taking shape on Western Avenue, its smaller cousin, the 9,000-square-foot ArtLab maker space (sited around the corner, on North Harvard Street; see harvardmag.com/artlab-plans-17), is also well under way, as shown in these November views. As the fine print always cautions, these images are not to scale: the billion-dollar science facility appears below, and its humanistic neighbor—at roughly one-hundredth the investment—above. But as a harbinger of other potential arts and related facilities in the vicinity, the ArtLab looms large.


Photograph from the OxBlue Construction Cameras

You might also like

Lessons in Command

Retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General teaches ROTC graduates about leadership.

Michelle Wu Withdraws as Law School Speaker

Boston mayor bows out because of a graduate student strike, the longest in union history.

‘Effort Still Matters’ in AI Age, Garber Tells Harvard Graduates

In his Baccalaurate address, the University president urged a mindful—yet open—approach to the technology.

Most popular

AI Outperforms Doctors in Emergency Room Tasks, New Harvard Study Shows

Researchers say the technology could help physicians with triage, diagnosis.

Phi Beta Kappa Speakers Call Out a ‘Deeply Troubling’ Moment

Former Harvard President Lawrence Bacow and poet Meghan O’Rourke urge graduates to focus on character and “radical attention.”

Meet Harvard’s 2026 Student Commencement Speakers

Two undergraduates and a Ph.D. candidate will address the graduating class on May 28.

Explore More From Current Issue

A woman with long hair leans on a table, looking out a large window with rain-streaked glass.

A Harvard Economist Probes the Affordable Housing Crisis

From understanding gender pay gaps to the housing crisis, Rebecca Diamond’s research aims to improve lives.

Brick archway with a sandy base, surrounded by wooden planks and boxes in a dim space.

How the American Revolution Freed a Future Abolitionist

Darby Vassall, an enslaved child freed after the Battle of Bunker Hill, dedicated his life to fighting for liberty.

Alene Anello smiling surrounded by four chickens in a natural outdoor setting.

This Harvard-Trained Lawyer Fights for the Rights of Chickens

Alene Anello wants to apply animal cruelty laws to birds raised for meat.