Rockefeller Hall and HDS Campus Green
Images From Then and Now
Tucked inside the Spring 1968 issue of Harvard Divinity Bulletin was an announcement about construction of a new building just north of Andover Hall:
"…the School received a gift of $1,500,000 from Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and Mr. David Rockefeller, for the construction of a residence and dining hall adjacent to Andover Hall. The hall will bear the name and honor the memory of John D. Rockefeller, Jr. who came to the support of the Divinity School at a crucial time when its future was much in doubt. The Rockefeller Hall will relieve space for instruction and offices in Andover Hall and for books and work rooms in the Library. It will also increase our function as a center for Harvard’s 300 some students of theology and related fields who are drawn to our library, courses, and conversations."
Construction commenced in spring 1970 and finished in fall 1971. The original design included 39 single-study bedrooms with a kitchen on each floor, and four seminar rooms. A refectory was, and still is, located on the first floor.
In his "Enthusiastic Confirmation" of Rockefeller Hall, Rabbi Martin E. Katzenstein wrote in the Fall 1969 Bulletin that the "decision to make a gift to the Divinity School was a creative decision; the building of Rockefeller Hall is a creative enterprise."
Nearly four decades later, having endured major renovations, Rockefeller Hall is one of the most energy-efficient buildings at Harvard. Together with the new HDS campus green space, the "handsome dark gray building" is more than a creative enterprise; it is a creative paradigm in keeping with University-wide sustainability efforts at Harvard.
Watch the Rockefeller Hall celebration ceremony >
Click on any image below to view the photo gallery, which will open in a new window.
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