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The Harvard Lampoon Building (sometimes referred to as the Lampoon Castle) is a historic building in
Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...
, which is best known as the home of ''
The Harvard Lampoon ''The Harvard Lampoon'' is an undergraduate humor publication founded in 1876 by seven undergraduates at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Overview The ''Harvard Lampoon'' publication was founded in 1876 by seven undergraduates ...
'', and for its unusual design.


Architecture and design

The building was constructed at 44 Bow Street not far from
Harvard Yard Harvard Yard, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is the oldest part of the Harvard University campus, its historic center and modern crossroads. It contains most of the freshman dormitories, Harvard's most important libraries, Memorial Church, sever ...
and close to the "Gold Coast" of residences for undergraduates of
Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...
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 The Jamestown settlement in the Colony of Virginia was the first permanent English settlement in the Americas. It was located on the northeast bank of the James (Powhatan) River about southwest of the center of modern Williamsburg. It was ...
, and by the Flemish Renaissance details of Auburn Street buildings in its vicinity. The building has been described as a "Satirical Castle". 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 Eggplant ( US, Canada), aubergine ( UK, Ireland) or brinjal (Indian subcontinent, Singapore, Malaysia, South Africa) is a plant species in the nightshade family Solanaceae. ''Solanum melongena'' is grown worldwide for its edible fruit. Mos ...
. The tiles were used in a room with an open ceiling and plain furniture and timbers. The ground floor features a small entrance and a round library used for editorial meetings. The floor opens up and there is a secret chamber beneath the library (a "basement") used for "secret" events. The building features a copper
ibis The ibises () (collective plural ibis; classical plurals ibides and ibes) are a group of long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae, that inhabit wetlands, forests and plains. "Ibis" derives from the Latin and Ancient Greek word f ...
, symbol of the ''Lampoon'', mounted on the top of the dome. The statue is roughly high and weighs roughly . 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'' is the student newspaper of Harvard University and was founded in 1873. Run entirely by Harvard College undergraduates, it served for many years as the only daily newspaper in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Beginning in the f ...
'', 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 M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU; russian: Московский государственный университет имени М. В. Ломоносова) is a public research university in Moscow, Russia and the most prestigious ...
, 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, Starr Books.


Reception

Barrett Wendell Barrett Wendell (August 23, 1855 – February 8, 1921) 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 F ...
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 E. Vellucci (1915–2002) 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. Life a ...
. 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 A urinal (, ) is a sanitary plumbing fixture for urination only. Urinals are often provided in public toilets for male users in Western countries (less so in Muslim countries). They are usually used in a standing position. Urinals can be with ...
. The building was added to the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
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 Italian Americans ( it, italoamericani or ''italo-americani'', ) are Americans who have full or partial Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeast and industrial Midwestern metropolitan areas, w ...
, whom he believed the Lampoon had insulted by claiming that an Irishman (rather than the Italian
Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...
) 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 A false flag operation is an act committed with the intent of disguising the actual source of responsibility and pinning blame on another party. The term "false flag" originated in the 16th century as an expression meaning an intentional misr ...
operation by members of the ''
Harvard Crimson The Harvard Crimson are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Harvard College. The school's teams compete in NCAA Division I. As of 2013, there were 42 Division I intercollegiate varsity sports teams for women and men at Harvard, more than at ...
''.


Gallery

File:Harvard Lampoon Building dome, Cambridge, MA.JPG, View of Ibis on dome File:Harvard Lampoon Building - IMG 1316.jpg, Side view of building File:2017 Harvard Lampoon from east, Cambridge, Massachusetts.jpg, View from the rear (west) Image:Castle Lasers-1.JPG, 100th Anniversary celebration File:Harvard Lampoon Basement Floorplan.jpg, Layout of the Lampoon Building basement, including the "Elmer Room"


See also

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Cambridge, Massachusetts


References


External links

* {{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts, state=collapsed Harvard University buildings School buildings completed in 1909 The Harvard Lampoon Harvard Square University and college buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Cambridge, Massachusetts 1909 establishments in Massachusetts