Deconstructing Boylston Hall for the Humanities

Boylston Hall is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its last major overhaul with a bang -- literally.

Construction workers are hammering away inside the historic Harvard Yard building to make it more collegial and comfortable for the faculty, students, and staff in five humanities departments.

When Boylston reopens in August, it will complete a humanities "arc" that stretches from Quincy Street to the Yard and includes the Robert and Elizabeth Barker Center and Widener and Lamont libraries.

The first phase of the humanities project involved transforming the Harvard Union, Burr Hall, and nearby Warren House into the Barker Center. The Center, which houses 11 departments and programs, opened its doors in September.

Crews are now working in Boylston to improve the air quality, soundproofing, and lighting in offices and meeting rooms, and to upgrade its classrooms, auditorium, and Ticknor Lounge for lectures and events.

The refurbished Boylston will contain the departments of Classics, Comparative Literature, Linguistics, Literature, and Romance Languages and Literatures. Three of the largest units had already occupied Boylston, but their spaces were too cramped to accommodate everyone.

This project will unite several long-scattered departments under one roof and improve their circulation so that each department will have a clear identity, according to project manager Elizabeth Randall of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

Built in 1857-58 (and expanded in 1871 with a third story), Boylston Hall originally held the Chemistry Department and later, the Harvard-Yenching Institute. It was last overhauled in 1959, and its Rockport granite exterior received a facelift in 1992. It is named for Ward Nicholas Boylston, whose bequest provided for its construction.

The contractor for the current renovation is Lee Kennedy Co., which also is building the racquet facility near the Harvard Stadium. The architect is Robert Olson + Associates, which designed the Lowell Hall restoration and other projects at Harvard.