While undergraduates get in shape this summer on rollerblades or treadmills, Harvard Yard's historic buildings are getting a full-body makeover.

The beautification process isn't pretty, but summer school students will have to bear it, officials say.

Scaffolding surrounds Wigglesworth and Emerson while Straus is closed for renovations, and Memorial Hall is surrounded by a cloud of dust.

But nearly all the fences, warning signs and construction workers will be gone by September.

When the dust settles at the end of the summer, a number of buildings should see significant improvements.

Yard Dorms

Three dormitories in the Yard are undergoing construction as part of a million-dollar effort to upgrade first-year housing.

Wigglesworth, located at the southern end of the yard, is surround by scaffolding and white sheets.

"Wigglesworth is [undergoing] the same renovations as have been [made] on the other dorms," said Michael N. Lichten, director of the Office of Physical Resources. "It's a general fix-up."

The brickwork and chimneys on Wigglesworth's exterjor are being repaired and new windows are being installed, Lichten said.

On the interior, general improvements are being made, including replacing bathroom fixtures and improving ventilation, he said. improvements to its interior.

The interior work is "very similar" to thatwhich is going on in Wigglesworth, Lichten said.Among the more notable improvements, the walls,floors and heating are being renovated.

But Straus' exterior was fixed several yearsago, so work is only being done inside thebuilding.

Massachusetts Hall, which contains the officeof the president in addition to some undergraduaterooms, is having its windows replaced, Lichtensaid. Its interior will also get a "modestsprucing up."

The renovation of all three dorms will befinished by September, in time to house theincoming first-years.

Other Buildings