Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East
Address6, Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA, United States of America, 02138
Site Number745
Alternate Names
Semitic Museum,
Department of Near Eastern Languages and Semitic Culture
Building Root Number
04790
Architect (Original)
Alexander Wadsworth Longfellow Jr.
Land Acquired
1900
Building Acquired 1902
Constructed 1902
Dedicated 2/5/1903
Building Acquired 1902
Constructed 1902
Dedicated 2/5/1903
StatusActive
Site Name HistoryThe site is named after its function.Historical NotesThe Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East was built in 1902, based on a design by Boston-based A. W. Longfellow, Jr. (A.B. 1876). Originally planned for a site directly south of the Peabody Museum, it was changed in 1900 for a new lot on the east side of Divinity Avenue, which provided more light and ventilation. It was designed to hold exhibit spaces, a lecture hall, library, and offices. When constructed the museum building cost $67,000 and it was completely fireproof. The museum was a gift of Jacob Henry Schiff, a prominent banker at Kuhn, Loeb & Company of New York, who also donated most of the museum's collections. In 2020 the museum changed its name, it was previously known as the Semitic Museum.
Additional Information
"More Than 500." Boston Daily Globe. 27 Sep 1900, p. 2.
“Semitic Museum.” Cambridge Tribune, 16 Mar. 1901, p. 10.
“Gave $60,000 in All: Semitic Museum Made Possible by Mr Schiff’s Generosity.” Boston Daily Globe, 17 Dec. 1900, p. 5.
“Big Semitic Museum: New Building for Harvard to Be Built Soon. Generosity of Jacob H. Schiff Will Aid the Cause of Science. Description of the Structure and the Plans of Interior.” Boston Daily Globe, 28 Jan. 1900, p. 35.
“Harvard’s Semitic Museum: New Building to Contain One of the Most Interesting Collections in the Country.” New York Times, 1901, p. 22.
Riskin-Kutz, Oliver L. “Harvard Semitic Museum Changes Name To Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East.” The Harvard Crimson, 30 Apr. 2020, https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2020/4/30/harvard-semitic-museum-name-change/.
“The Semitic Museum.” Cambridge Tribune, 27 Oct. 1900, p. 8.
“Semitic Museum for Harvard University.” Cambridge Chronicle, 12 Jan. 1901, p. 13.
General Information by and about the Semitic Museum. Harvard University Archives call number HUF 782.4.
Records of Semitic Museum, 1891-1935. Harvard University Archives call number UAV 780.xxx.
Pfeiffer, Robert H. "The Semitic Museum." Bulletin of the Fogg Art Museum, Vol. 5:3, July 1, 1936, pp.56-56.
Weber, Paul J. Photographs of Harvard University Buildings and Grounds Taken by Paul J. Weber, Ca. 1929-1931 and 1939. Harvard University Archives call number HUV 2329
"Rising Walls of New College Buildings." Cambridge Chronicle. 18 Aug 1900, p.9-10.
“Semitic Museum at Harvard Will Be Dedicated Today.” Boston Globe, 5 Feb. 1903, p. 2.
Chapin, C. W. E. “The College Department: The Semitic Museum at Harvard University.” New York Evangelist, vol. 72, no. 8, Feb. 1901, p. 19.
This building has been designated by the University Planning Office as having a Notable Interior.