Harvard Lampoon Building
Encyclopedia
The Harvard Lampoon Building (sometimes referred to as the Lampoon Castle) is a historic building in Cambridge, Massachusetts
that is best known as the home of Harvard Lampoon
and for its unusual design.
and close to the "Gold Coast" of residences for undergraduates of Harvard College
before the creation of Harvard's "house system" (some of them now part of Adams House
). Designed by Edmund M. Wheelwright
, who also oversaw the construction, it was first opened on February 19, 1909. Wheelwright had attended Harvard University and was one of the founders of the Harvard Lampoon. Wheelwright's design was inspired in part by an old church in Jamestown, Virginia
, and by the Flemish Renaissance details of Auburn Street buildings in its vicinity. The building has been described as a "Satirical Castle". Seen from directly front, the building bears an obvious resemblance to a human face wearing a Prussian helmet, complete with spike.
During the construction phase of the project he traveled to Europe to procure appropriate furnishings and windows. He purchased leaded windows in Belgium and an Elizabethan mantelpiece in England. The building also features 17th-century Delft tiles
that were imported from the Netherlands. The Delft tiles are blue, white, and aubergine
. The tiles were used in a room with an open ceiling and plain furniture and timbers.
The building features a copper ibis
, symbol of the Lampoon, mounted on the top of the dome. The statue is roughly 4 feet (1.2 m) high and weighs roughly 70 lbs. Though it was first installed in 1909, it has frequently been stolen and returned ever since. On one occasion members of The Harvard Crimson
, the student newspaper and rival of the Lampoon, which issues an annual Crimson parody issue, stole the statue and presented it as a gift to the Russian delegation to the UN. After initially promising to install it on top of a building at Moscow State University
, the delegation returned the statue.
The building cost approximately $40,000 to construct, making it then the most expensive headquarters of a college newspaper in the United States. After the building was first constructed, it initially hosted a small store on the ground floor in addition to the Harvard Lampoon offices and meeting spaces on the other floors; for years the site housed a used book shop.
once described the building as "sturdily honest as the founder who designed it, yet laughing at every turn with freakish gayety and beauty". However, the building's architecture has been criticized, most notably by former Cambridge mayor Alfred Vellucci
. He once described it as "one of the ugliest buildings in the world" and claimed that "it does nothing but scare strangers" and "looks like a witch on a broomstick". He also noted that the location of the building "is an ideal spot for a restroom", and once unsuccessfully proposed a city ordinance declaring the building a public urinal
.
The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1978.
) discovered America. Vellucci's opposition was also fueled in part by the proposal from members of the Harvard Lampoon to rename a nearby intersection "Lampoon Square", and by the satirical portraits of Vellucci that they published.
During the sixties, seventies, and eighties the tree was routinely vandalized, its branches often chopped off and acid was poured on the tree twice. However, in 1991 the tree was completely chopped down. The Harvard Lampoon refused to confirm or deny involvement in the event and a smaller tree was planted in its place. Three years later the tree was felled on the night of Harvard's commencement. The leadership of the Harvard Lampoon denied any complicity, and suggested that it may have been a false flag
operation by members of the Harvard Crimson.
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
that is best known as the home of Harvard Lampoon
Harvard Lampoon
The Harvard Lampoon is an undergraduate humor publication founded in 1876 at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.-Overview:Published since 1876, The Harvard Lampoon is the world's longest continually published humor magazine. It is also the second longest-running English-language humor...
and for its unusual design.
Architecture and design
The building was constructed at 44 Bow Street not far from Harvard YardHarvard Yard
Harvard Yard is a grassy area of about , adjacent to Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that constitutes the oldest part and the center of the campus of Harvard University...
and close to the "Gold Coast" of residences for undergraduates of Harvard College
Harvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
before the creation of Harvard's "house system" (some of them now part of Adams House
Adams House (Harvard University)
Adams House is one of the twelve undergraduate houses at Harvard University, located between Harvard Square and the Charles River in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Named to commemorate the Adams family, including John Adams, the second president of the United States and John Quincy Adams, the sixth...
). Designed by Edmund M. Wheelwright
Edmund M. Wheelwright
Edmund March Wheelwright was one of New England's most important architects in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and served as city architect for Boston, Massachusetts from 1891-1895....
, who also oversaw the construction, it was first opened on February 19, 1909. Wheelwright had attended Harvard University and was one of the founders of the Harvard Lampoon. Wheelwright's design was inspired in part by an old church in Jamestown, Virginia
Jamestown, Virginia
Jamestown was a settlement in the Colony of Virginia. Established by the Virginia Company of London as "James Fort" on May 14, 1607 , it was the first permanent English settlement in what is now the United States, following several earlier failed attempts, including the Lost Colony of Roanoke...
, and by the Flemish Renaissance details of Auburn Street buildings in its vicinity. The building has been described as a "Satirical Castle". Seen from directly front, the building bears an obvious resemblance to a human face wearing a Prussian helmet, complete with spike.
During the construction phase of the project he traveled to Europe to procure appropriate furnishings and windows. He purchased leaded windows in Belgium and an Elizabethan mantelpiece in England. The building also features 17th-century Delft tiles
Delftware
Delftware, or Delft pottery, denotes blue and white pottery made in and around Delft in the Netherlands and the tin-glazed pottery made in the Netherlands from the 16th century....
that were imported from the Netherlands. The Delft tiles are blue, white, and aubergine
Eggplant (color)
Eggplant is a dark purple or brownish-purple color that resembles the color of the outer skin of European eggplants. Another name for the color eggplant is aubergine ....
. The tiles were used in a room with an open ceiling and plain furniture and timbers.
The building features a copper ibis
Ibis
The ibises are a group of long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae....
, symbol of the Lampoon, mounted on the top of the dome. The statue is roughly 4 feet (1.2 m) high and weighs roughly 70 lbs. Though it was first installed in 1909, it has frequently been stolen and returned ever since. On one occasion members of The Harvard Crimson
The Harvard Crimson
The Harvard Crimson, the daily student newspaper of Harvard University, was founded in 1873. It is the only daily newspaper in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and is run entirely by Harvard College undergraduates...
, the student newspaper and rival of the Lampoon, which issues an annual Crimson parody issue, stole the statue and presented it as a gift to the Russian delegation to the UN. After initially promising to install it on top of a building at Moscow State University
Moscow State University
Lomonosov Moscow State University , previously known as Lomonosov University or MSU , is the largest university in Russia. Founded in 1755, it also claims to be one of the oldest university in Russia and to have the tallest educational building in the world. Its current rector is Viktor Sadovnichiy...
, the delegation returned the statue.
The building cost approximately $40,000 to construct, making it then the most expensive headquarters of a college newspaper in the United States. After the building was first constructed, it initially hosted a small store on the ground floor in addition to the Harvard Lampoon offices and meeting spaces on the other floors; for years the site housed a used book shop.
Reception
Barrett WendellBarrett Wendell
Barrett Wendell was an American academic known for a series of textbooks including English Composition, studies of Cotton Mather and William Shakespeare, A Literary History of America, The France of Today, and The Traditions of European Literature.He was born in Boston, the son of Jacob and Mary...
once described the building as "sturdily honest as the founder who designed it, yet laughing at every turn with freakish gayety and beauty". However, the building's architecture has been criticized, most notably by former Cambridge mayor Alfred Vellucci
Alfred Vellucci
Alfred E. Vellucci was an American politician who served as the mayor of Cambridge, Massachusetts. He served four non-consecutive terms as mayor, and was known for his often antagonistic relationship with Harvard University....
. He once described it as "one of the ugliest buildings in the world" and claimed that "it does nothing but scare strangers" and "looks like a witch on a broomstick". He also noted that the location of the building "is an ideal spot for a restroom", and once unsuccessfully proposed a city ordinance declaring the building a public urinal
Urinal
A urinal is a specialized toilet for urinating into. It has the form of a container or simply a wall, with drainage and automatic or manual flushing....
.
The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1978.
Foliage
Vellucci later clashed with the Harvard Lampoon due to a tree that he planted on city land in front of the building in 1961 in order to block the view of the building. He wished to obscure the face of the building because he found it ugly and to avenge local Italian Americans, whom he believed the Lampoon had insulted by claiming that an Irishman (rather than the Italian Christopher ColumbusChristopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
) discovered America. Vellucci's opposition was also fueled in part by the proposal from members of the Harvard Lampoon to rename a nearby intersection "Lampoon Square", and by the satirical portraits of Vellucci that they published.
During the sixties, seventies, and eighties the tree was routinely vandalized, its branches often chopped off and acid was poured on the tree twice. However, in 1991 the tree was completely chopped down. The Harvard Lampoon refused to confirm or deny involvement in the event and a smaller tree was planted in its place. Three years later the tree was felled on the night of Harvard's commencement. The leadership of the Harvard Lampoon denied any complicity, and suggested that it may have been a false flag
False flag
False flag operations are covert operations designed to deceive the public in such a way that the operations appear as though they are being carried out by other entities. The name is derived from the military concept of flying false colors; that is flying the flag of a country other than one's own...
operation by members of the Harvard Crimson.