Sever Hall - Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
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NorStar
N 42° 22.429 W 071° 06.959
19T E 325785 N 4693450
Sever Hall on the campus of Harvard University is a red brick building designed by H. H. Richardson and has rare carved brick forms over the front and back.
Waymark Code: WM85JY
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 02/01/2010
Views: 11
In Cambridge, on the campus of Harvard University, is a red brick building with very ornate designs that is Sever Hall.
The American Guide Series book for Massachusetts has the following about this building:
31. Sever Hall (1880), a red-brick building which forms the west side of the Sever Quadrangle, was designed by Henry Hobson Richardson, famous for his adaptations of the Romanesque style. Not too fortunate a specimen, it was the first, and remains the most glaring, not of the incongruity in an otherwise harmonious grouping of Georgian Colonial buildings. Of interest is the brick carving, comparatively rare, over the doors at front and back.
--American Guide Series: Massachusetts - A Guide to Its Places and People, p. 197
The building is still used as a lecture hall and is actively used. The author in the guide had mixed opinions about the building. The building does stand out on campus with it's bulky appearance. However, the carvings above the door and at other places are very detailed.
The Wikipedia article on the building noted that another person, noted contemporary architect, Robert Venturi said that it was his favorite building in America. So, now there are two opinions from different eras. Weigh in with your opinion!
The Wikipedia article also noted that the masonry between the bricks was originally 'blood mortar.' Since 1967, however, polybond compounds have been used.
Additional Source:
Wikipedia (Sever Hall):
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