What are some of the visual features of Harvard’s campus? I’ve heard of the Harvard Gates, the beautiful Harvard Grounds, but are these the most beautiful/iconic features, what else is there?
Hi anonymous70,
Thanks for your question! As a Harvard graduate I think the Harvard Gates are truly beautiful. Out of a thousand, I’d pick John Harvard Statue, Widener Library, Harvard Square, and the Harvard Art Museums as the most beautiful/iconic features.
John Harvard Statue is a sculpture in bronze by Daniel Chester French in Harvard Yard honoring John Harvard (he wasn’t the founder of Harvard but one of the first major benefactors ). It’s the most touched object in the uni because people believe they’ll get straight A’s if they touch his left foot.
Widener Library is just not far behind the John Harvard Statue. Housing some 3.5 million books, it’s the most iconic one of over 70 libraries of Harvard. It honors 1907 Harvard College graduate and book collector Harry Elkins Widener, and was constructed by his mother after his death in the sinking of the Titanic in 1912.
Harvard Sq is a cool place for students to hangout, with lots of good food, coffee, clothing shops, taverns, street art, CVS, etc. It’s adjacent to Harvard Yard, and it’s also the historic heart of Harvard University.
The Harvard Arts Museums are free for Harvard students, faculty and alumni, and comprise 3 museums - the Fogg Museum, the Busch-Reisinger Museum, and the Arthur M. Sackler Museum. The collections include approximately 250k objects in all media, ranging in date from antiquity to the present and originating in Europe, North America, North Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, East Asia, and Southeast Asia. You can easily find loads of masterpieces of Vincent van Gogh, Edgar Degas etc. - it’s my favorite place to go!
Hope it helps and please let us know if you have more questions!