Sever Hall

Sever Hall is a four-story red brick academic building in Harvard Yard with rounded corner towers and deeply recessed arched entrances that give it a fortress-like appearance. The structure features intricate brickwork patterns and ornamental moldings that cover its entire exterior, creating a visually rich design for classrooms and offices.

The building was designed by architect H.H. Richardson and completed between 1878 and 1880, funded as a memorial to James Warren Sever by his widow Anne. Its construction represented an important shift in how universities approached academic building design during that era.

The building represents a defining example of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture, incorporating intricate brickwork patterns and structural innovations in academic design.

The building contains classrooms, lecture halls, and faculty offices serving Harvard College and the Extension School students today. Most visitor engagement focuses on viewing the exterior architecture, as interior access is limited to those with university affiliation.

The western entrance archway contains an acoustic feature where whispers carry clearly between opposite corners of the structure. This unusual effect may have been intentional in Richardson's design or a fortunate byproduct of the arch's precise dimensions.