The Class of 1959 Chapel
- Architect
- Moshe Safdie
- Year
- 1992
- Style
- Contemporary Modern
- City
- Boston, MA
The Class of 1959 Chapel on the Harvard Business School campus was designed by Moshe Safdie in 1992, funded by a gift from the school's Class of 1959 alumni, and built for about $2.5 million as part of a master plan extending the campus's 1927 McKim, Mead and White buildings along the Charles River.
the building
Bronze cylinder and koi pond. The chapel is an 8.2-meter concrete cylinder clad in patinaed bronze, with a pyramidal glass greenhouse on one side enclosing a below-ground koi pond complete with live plants, a small waterfall, and concrete blocks used as stepping stones.
The ball clock tower. Outside stands a rectangular marble tower holding a two-story steel pole topped with a large bronze ball, designed by Karl Schlamminger as a functioning clock — the ball's position on the pole, read against lines on the tower, tells the time of day.
the style
Contemporary Modern (c. 1990–present): Today's default architecture: floor-to-ceiling glass, crisp panel facades, bold cantilevers, and mixed materials.
More on Contemporary Modernthe architect
Moshe Safdie designed the chapel in 1992 as part of a master plan meant to complement Harvard Business School's original 1927 campus by McKim, Mead and White while allowing the school to expand along the Charles River.
nearby
- Harvard Stadium
- Conventual Church of St. Mary and St. John
- Harvard Lampoon Building
- Smith Campus Center
- Old Cambridge Baptist Church
- B B Chemical Company building