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Eliot Construction Noise Presents a Problem for Kirkland Neighbors

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Eliot House is undergoing sweeping renovations that will last through 2027 — and neighboring Kirkland House residents hear it loud and clear.

Construction crews began work in early June to overhaul Eliot’s interior and exterior as part of Harvard’s House Renewal program, and loud demolition noise can be heard from Kirkland’s dining hall and dorms from early in the morning until nearly midnight.

“Even when you’re sitting here,” Hudson D. Bosch ’26 said from the dining hall, “the entire floor is vibrating right now.”

Construction crews are currently demolishing the connecting tunnel linking Eliot and Kirkland — a project which is expected to conclude by the end of September.

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One of the project’s first milestones was separating Eliot and Kirkland’s mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems. Before the renovations, the two houses shared central infrastructure and a kitchen.

In addition to the connector work, crews are carrying out interior Eliot demolition with repairs to the house roof, brick siding, and chimneys.In a letter to Kirkland residents, Harvard House Renewal managers wrote that noisy construction is expected to continue into next year.

“As you know the Kirkland team is working hard to support you amidst these changes and have taken several steps to minimize any disruptions to your House community,” they wrote, detailing steps to keep wi-fi, plumbing, and package services running through the construction.

To mitigate the noise, Kirkland House is also leaving several dorms empty on the south side closest to Eliot where the noise is loudest. Administrators have also installed noise-dampening storm windows and in-window air conditioners in spaces facing Eliot.

Despite the efforts, some Kirkland residents said construction has infringed on their routines.

Rose N. Friedman ’28, a Kirkland resident, said the noise is “pretty annoying.”

“It starts very early in the morning and kind of goes throughout the entire day, so not great,” she said.

“You just hear the constant noise when trying to do work,” she added.

Cambridge city law permits construction noise that is audible 50 feet from the lot line only between the hours of 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays, from 9 a.m. on Saturdays, and only with approval from the Police Department on Sundays. Harvard House Renewal wrote that construction will take place Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., though the “loud noise activities” are scheduled to end at 5 p.m.

Harvard House Renewal also wrote that necessary work might be done on Saturdays and Sundays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

According to plans shared with Kirkland residents, interior demolition in Eliot is expected to continue through March. Roof, masonry, and window replacement work will not conclude until fall 2026.

For Kirkland students, whose own house is not set to be renovated for several years, the noise provides its own frustrations.

“I’d rather not listen to hammering on the wall,” said Kirkland resident Calan T. Scherer ’28. “I’m not going to go and protest it, but I would rather not.”

—Staff writer Bianca G. Ciubancan can be reached at bianca.ciubancan@thecrimson.com.

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