Barker Center
Address12, Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA, United States of America, 02138
Site Number895
Alternate Names
Burr Memorial,
Harvard Union,
Varsity Club,
Freshman Union,
Previous Building Number
196
Building Root Number 04121
Building Root Number 04121
Architect (Original)
McKim, Mead & White
Land Acquired
1892
Constructed 1901
Building Acquired 1901
Constructed 1901
Building Acquired 1901
StatusActive
Site Name HistoryThe site is named for Robert R. Barker, a Wall Street executive, benefactor, and member of Harvard's Board of Overseers. It was previously known as the Harvard Union and the Varsity Club.Historical NotesThe Barker Center for the Humanities was designed for Harvard by the prominent New York architecture firm of McKim Mead and White, and opened in 1901 as the Harvard Union. The Harvard Union was the social center for freshman and included a dining hall, library and game rooms. The building, funded by Major Henry Lee Higginson, was originally constructed as a memorial to Harvard students and alumni who died in Spanish-American War. In 1911 an addition at 14 Quincy Street was added by architect Thomas Mott Shaw (A.B. 1900). This addition was known as the Varsity Club. It was built to provide living quarters and a gathering place for teams and coaches. The building was funded by a subscription with large contributions by Allston Burr (A.B. 1889) and Harvard President A. Lawrence Lowell. It served as a memorial to Frances Hardon Burr (A.B. 1909). The Varsity Club vacated the space in 1981 when the History and Literature Department took over the building.
Additional Information
Placed on the National Register of Historic Places January 26, 1987. National Register Information System ID: 87000500
Harvard University Archives. Construction Management Records, ca. 1953-1986. Harvard University Archives call number UAV 298.8000
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
Maycock, Susan E., and Charles Sullivan. Building old Cambridge: architecture and development. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2016. Print. Lamont Library call number NA735.C28 M39 2016; Loeb Design Library call number NA735.C28 M39 2016.
Hale, Herbert D. “Recent Buildings at Harvard University.” The Architectural Review, vol. 8:6, June 1901, pp. 65-75, illus.
"Harvard Union." Current Encyclopedia. June 1902, Vol. 2:12, p. 1416-1421. Google Books https://books.google.com/books?id=6I_NAAAAMAAJ&dq=%22harvard%20union%22%20building&pg=PA1417#v=onepage&q=%22harvard%20union%22%20building&f=false.
General information by and about Harvard Union. Harvard University Archives call number HUB 1860.2.
Eight Letters from Various Dignitaries Regarding the Harvard Union, 1910-1920. Harvard University Archives accession 13253.
Higginson, Henry Lee. Four Addresses by Henry Lee Higginson. Boston, 1902. Google Books: https://books.google.com/books?id=KEAqAAAAYAAJ&pg=PP9#v=onepage&q&f=false.
"Harvard Union." Current Encyclopedia. June 1902, Vol. 2:12, p. 1416-1421. Google Books https://books.google.com/books?id=6I_NAAAAMAAJ&dq=%22harvard%20union%22%20building&pg=PA1417#v=onepage&q=%22harvard%20union%22%20building&f=false.
Bethell, John, Richard M. Hunt & Robert Shenton. Harvard A-Z. Cambridge, Mass., 2004. Print.
Harvard University. Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Associate Dean for Physical Resources. Project Records. Harvard University Archives accession 17375.
"More Than 500." Boston Daily Globe. 27 Sep 1900, p. 2.
"Harvard Union Plans." Cambridge Chronicle. 2 Jun 1906, p. 12.
"Harvard University." Cambridge Tribune. 3 Feb 1900, p. 4.
"Harvard University." Cambridge Tribune. 10 Feb 1900, p. 3.
"It's Being Talked About." Cambridge Chronicle. 17 Mar 1900, p. 13
"The Morris Chair." Cambridge Chronicle. 6 Jun 1900, p. 3.
"Commodious Quarters." Cambridge Tribune. 23 June 1900, p. 4.
"Rising Walls of New College Buildings." Cambridge Chronicle. 18 Aug 1900, p.9-10.
"Harvard's New Clubhouse." Cambridge Chronicle. 29 Jun 1901, p. 14.
"A Better Piece of Sidewalk." Cambridge Tribune. 24 Aug 1901, p. 5.
"Finishing Touches." Cambridge Tribune. 24 Aug 1901, p. 5.
"The Chronicler." Cambridge Tribune. 31 Dec 1904, p. 2.
Campbell, Robert. “Revamped Harvard Union Defies Naysayers: [City Edition].” Boston Globe, 19 Sept. 1997, p. E, 1:6.
“For the Harvard Union.” Boston Evening Transcript, 26 May 1900, p. 9.
This building has been designated by the University Planning Office as having a Notable Interior.
Kresge Foundation Room
Thompson Room
Plimpton Room
Jeremy R. Knowles Terrace
Finnegan Room
Larsen Room
Alain LeRoy Locke Room
Lyman Room
McFadden Room
Nebel Room
The Kates Room
Walter C. Klein Wing
W. S. Fong Room
Clowes Rotunda
Tony Custer Room
Humstone Room
The Franklin D. and Wendy F. Raines Library