Harvard Science Center

The Harvard University Science Center is Harvard University's main building for science and math classes and labs. It also has many other important rooms and services for students and teachers.

It is located just north of Harvard Yard. The Science Center was built in 1972 and opened the next year, in 1973. It was designed by Josep Lluís Sert, who was the dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Design at that time.

History

Harvard wanted to build a science center for students in the 1950s and 1960s, but couldn’t afford it until 1968. That year, Edwin Land, the inventor of the Polaroid "Land" camera, donated $12.5 million to help create the center just for undergraduate students.

There were concerns about the cost and moving some science classes far from their usual places. In 1970, a fire destroyed an old building that was set to be torn down for the new center. The road near Harvard Yard was lowered to make it easier for people to walk between the Yard and the new science buildings.

Harvard hired architects Sert, Jackson and Associates to design the building. Josep Lluis Sert, who designed many Harvard buildings, made the Science Center with lots of steel, concrete, and natural light. Building it took place from 1970 to 1972.

Between 2001 and 2004, the Science Center was updated for $22 million to add space for the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments and more facilities. A large historic electromechanical computer called the Harvard Mark I was shown in the main lobby until it was moved to a different building.

Facilities

The Science Center has nine stories, plus a basement and an observatory floor. It is home to the History of Science, Mathematics, and Statistics Departments. Key facilities include:

• Cabot Science Library
• Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments, with 20,000 objects dating back to 1400
• Five large lecture halls that can hold between 132 and 500 people
• Fifteen smaller classrooms for general use
• Teaching labs for chemistry, physics, biology, and other sciences
• A rooftop observatory with large telescopes for stargazing
• Offices for faculty and staff

Below the Science Center lies a large cooling system that helps regulate temperature for many buildings nearby. The plaza in front of the Science Center, created by lowering Cambridge Street and Broadway, is a popular spot for food trucks, roller skating, ice skating, markets, and concerts. Special events like Commencement often use tents set up in this area.