Longfellow Renovation Marks Milestone

Students, staff, and faculty gathered last week in Radcliffe Yard to celebrate a topping off ceremony in honor of the Longfellow Hall renovation project.

A topping off ceremony – a rite traced back to the ancient Scandinavian practice of placing a tree on top of a new building to honor nature’s contribution to the construction – took place on Thursday, May 16, and marked the completion of the major steel components of the renovation. The project will take the Longfellow building, which opened in 1929, into the 21st century through significant updates to the building's infrastructure, renovation of the fourth floor, and an addition of a new fifth floor, thereby creating more space on campus.

“The topping off ceremony isn’t just a milestone in the Longfellow renovation, it marks a significant step forward for the entire school,” said Dean James Ryan. “By adding square footage to HGSE’s main campus for the first time since 1972, we have the opportunity to add flexible learning spaces that will benefit our students and faculty, open up collaborative new work spaces that will bring more of our community together under the same roof, and complete much-needed upgrades that will allow the historic Longfellow building to remain the centerpiece of this campus for many years to come.”

Plans to modify the Longfellow building have long been in the works, says Jason Carlson, HGSE director of operations. While in recent years the Gutman and Larsen buildings underwent renovations, the Longfellow building had not undergone any major upgrades to its infrastructure in over 50 years.

The renovation of the fourth floor and the addition of a fifth floor will create 2,800 square feet of new classrooms and meeting spaces. This new space will allow for relocation of some off-campus personnel including Programs in Professional Education and additional research activities. This move will eliminate the lease of two off-campus properties and, in turn, Carlson says the money saved in rent actually offsets the cost of the renovations and upgrades. In recent years, under Carlson’s guidance, HGSE has reduced the number of leased properties from five to two.

“We are moving in the direction to become a more cohesive campus on Appian Way,” Carlson says. With the continued focus on bringing off-campus personnel to Appian Way, it allows more opportunities for HGSE staff, faculty, and students to interact, which Carlson reiterates is the ultimate hope for the new construction and upgrades.

The Longfellow building renovation is slated for completion by the end of 2014.  

Photos of construction and the topping off ceremony:

Video of the topping off ceremony:

  Photos by Matt Weber and HGSE Operations; video edited by Iman Rastegari