The College’s nine neo-Georgian houses have withstood decades of wear and tear since they were constructed between 1910 and 1930, making them prime candidates for extensive reconstruction.
They have since been named historical landmarks by the City of Cambridge and, according to the Office of Student Life, will maintain their historic facades, even though their interiors are expected to be completely revamped.
The Report on Harvard House Renewal, released by the College administration in April 2009, stressed the need to upgrade the Houses for 21st-century living, while still maintaining their unique “Harvard aura.”
But with the loss of the physical space within Harvard’s historical walls comes not just the potential loss of quirky architectural features, but also the loss of stories of past inhabitants that are inextricably tied to House spirit.
In a very public example of Eliot House pride in the 1950s, then Eliot House Master John Finley reportedly bragged to the New York Times, “Where else would you find, in one room, the grandson of Matisse, the grandson of Joyce, and the great-great-great-great-grandson of God?” Finley was referring to Eliot A-12, whose former residents include Paul Matisse, the grandson of French impressionist Henri Matisse, Stephen Joyce, grandson of novelist James Joyce, and Sadruddin Aga Khan, a descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
“[Internal renovations] will inevitably affect House spirit negatively,” said current Eliot House Master Lino Pertile. “The distinctive nature of various Houses has to do with the design of the House—the feel of it. The more you flatten out this distinctiveness, the more [the Houses] become the same, and so the more difficult it is to have House spirit.”
Some argue that the proposed changes to the Houses necessarily stray far from the initial neo-Georgian conception of House life in the 1930s.
At the time, aristocratic white men— who donned black coats and ties and enjoyed the services of in-House servants—lived in the Houses. Today, women and students of diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds comprise Harvard’s undergraduate population.
The under-utilized squash courts and empty in-House pools of many Houses may be replaced by modern amenities. The Pfoho House Committee has proposed including a bowling alley, which is also supported by House Master Nicholas A. Christakis.
Still, as the process of House renewal moves forward, Jonathan Levi, an architecture professor at the GSD, emphasized the importance of having a forward-looking approach to redesigning the College’s unique residences—just as the original architects had nearly eight decades ago.
“My hope is that the administration and students will take into account the future—the needs of the future, and how the University of the future needs to express itself,” Levi said. “The past is only so beautiful as it is because people at the time were emboldened to think what the future meant for them, and we have to take on that charge ourselves.”
“It takes leadership to look beyond the myopia of the past,” he added.
—Staff writer Bita M. Assad can be reached at bassad@fas.harvard.edu.
—Staff writer Ahmed N. Mabruk can be reached at amabruk@fas.harvard.edu.