Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Harvard Announces Replacement Facility for Native American Program

  • By Matt Jones
  • 03/26/26

Key Takeaways

  • Harvard will begin construction this spring on a new 6,500-square-foot, all-electric building to serve as the central hub for its Native American Program, set to open for the 2027–28 school year.
  • The facility will include academic, social, and cultural spaces—such as offices, lounges, kitchens, and outdoor areas for ceremonies—supporting the program’s broad community and educational activities.
  • The new building replaces a deteriorating 19th-century structure deemed beyond repair and will incorporate Native-inspired design elements, including materials and symbolism reflecting cultural heritage.

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.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • CU-Lock Haven Receives $1.75M Gift for New Entrepreneurship, Media Center

    Commonwealth University-Lock Haven in Lock Haven, Penn., recently received a $1.75-million donation from entrepreneur and alumnus Nicholas Subich ’17, according to a university news release. The funds will go toward establishing the Nicholas Subich Center for Entrepreneurship and Media, a technology-driven hub for innovation and experiential learning.

  • UT-San Antonio Begins Residence Hall Renovations

    The University of Texas at San Antonio recently began a $6-million renovation project to one of its residence halls, according to a news release. Originally completed in 1986, Chisolm Hall measures in at 120,860 square feet and is the oldest and largest residence hall on campus.

  • Cal Poly Humboldt Starts Construction on Healthcare Education Hub

    California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt in Arcata, Calif., recently announced that work has begun on a renovation project that will turn the Stewart Building into a new Healthcare Education Hub, according to a news release. The university is partnering with Sundt Construction Inc. for construction services.

  • How Proactive Maintenance Can Transform Athletic Facilities into Strategic Assets for College Sports

    College athletics is entering one of the most transformative periods in its history. With NIL reshaping financial models and competitive expectations, athletic departments across the country are being asked to do more than ever with increasingly constrained resources.