Thayer Hall
Address21, Harvard Yard, Cambridge, MA, United States of America, 02138
Site Number955
Building Root Number
03373
Architect (Original)
Ryder & Harris
Constructed
1870
Building Acquired 1870
Building Acquired 1870
StatusActive
Materials for this building in our collection are not fully processed at this time.
Site Name HistoryThe site is named after Nathaniel Thayer (A.B. 1789), a Boston banker and Harvard benefactor and his son John Eliot Thayer.Historical NotesThayer Hall was constructed in 1870 to plans drawn by the Boston firm of Ryder and Harris. It was built for Harvard as a dormitory, a role it continues to serve today. It was a gift of Nathaniel Thayer (hon. A.M. 1866) in honor of his father and brother.Additional InformationGeneral Information by and about Thayer Hall. Harvard University Archives HUB 1831.2
Hurlbut, Byron Satterlee. A Guide Book to the Grounds and Buildings of Harvard University. Cambridge: U, 1898. Print.
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
Massachusetts Daughters of the American Revolution. Hannah Winthrop chapter, Cambridge. An Historic Guide to Cambridge. 2nd ed., rev. ed., Cambridge, Mass., 1907.
"College Matters." Boston Daily Globe, 16 Nov 1874, p. 8.
"The Thayers." Boston Daily Globe, 10 Apr 1884, p. 4.
"With Loss of $5000." Boston Daily Globe, 15 Feb 1905, p. 15.
"Thayer Hall Damaged by Fire." Boston Daily Globe, 16 Feb 1905, p. 1, 8.
"Thayer Hall Fire." Boston Daily Globe, 18 Feb 1905, p. 9.
"Changes at Harvard." Boston Daily Globe, 26 Sep 1905, p. 16.
"Cover a Harvard Fire Hero." Boston Daily Globe, 30 Jan 1917, p. 12.
Harvard University. Forty-Fifth Annual Report of the President of Harvard College, 1869-70. Cambridge (Mass), University Press, 1871, p. 25-26, https://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.ARCH:30048423?n=27
Harvard University. Annual Reports of the President and Treasurer of Harvard College 1869-1870. Cambridge (Mass), University Press, p. 7, https://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.ARCH:30118371?n=9.
“Harvard College Building Improvements. Description of Memorial and Alumni Hall-Renovation and Enlargement of Ancient Structures and Erection of New Ones.” Boston Journal, 6 Oct. 1870, p. 4.