Harvard Announces Replacement Facility for Native American Program
Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., recently announced that construction will begin this spring on a new home for its Native American Program, according to university news. The 6,500-square-foot, all-electric building will stand three stories and serve as the central hub for the Harvard University Native American Program (HUNAP)—both its academic and social components. The building will open in time for the 2027–28 school year.
Amenities will include offices, reception and recreation lounges, kitchens, a conference room, and a covered front porch and rear deck. The basement will play home to storage and mechanical space, and outdoor areas will provide space for cultural programming and ceremonies, the news story reports.
HUNAP’s current facility was built in 1873 and acquired by the university in 2023. A feasibility review found that the building’s structure was deteriorated beyond hope of renovation and that renovating the existing structure would “essentially require the construction of a new building within the shell of the existing building,” according to the Harvard Crimson.
HUNAP is a multi-school initiative within the university whose work encompasses “Native American studies, history, and cultural engagement, including academic programming, community events, research and travel grants, and tribal diplomacy efforts.” The facility’s design will invoke Native materials and symbolism; the exterior façade draws inspiration from tree bark and wampum.
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Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].