Harvard Expands into Allston

Harvard’s development in Boston's Allston neighborhood has brought administrators, professors, and students face-to-face with a myriad of challenges this decade, from the logistics of moving classes across the river to pushback from Allston residents.

In February 2013, University Provost Alan M. Garber ’76 announced the relocation of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences to North Allston in as few as five years.

The construction of the new SEAS complex has been met with challenges, including growing concerns about student schedules, transportation, and accommodating the growing number of students and faculty. Some SEAS professors have raised concerns that moving SEAS would jeopardize the interdisciplinary goals of the school. About a year in advance of the opening of the new SEAS complex, students still reported mixed feelings about the move.

Harvard has also moved forward with the construction of the Enterprise Research Campus, a facility intended to bridge the gap between Harvard-affiliated research and outside research companies. The Boston Planning and Development Agency approved a master plan for the initial 14 acres of the Enterprise Research Campus in March 2018. In November 2018, Harvard established the Harvard Allston Land Company to oversee the project.

In Nov. 2017, Harvard officials revealed plans to create a collaborative, mixed-use space for artists called the ArtLab, which opened in September 2019. Changes are also on the horizon for the American Repertory Theater, with plans to move from the Loeb Drama Center to a new home in Allston following a $100 million donation.

The Harvard-Allston Task Force, a neighborhood advisory body for Allston-related issues, has remained involved with the new construction. Residents have not shied away from raising concerns about new housing and retail developments, such as Barry’s Corner, and public access to Harvard buildings.

Besides expanding the sciences and humanities into Allston, Harvard has also invested in transportation, including straightening a portion of the Massachusetts Turnpike in conjunction with the construction of West Station, a new commuter rail stop.

Initial meetings about the turnpike project began around 2014. Since then, Harvard’s financial commitment to the project has increased significantly to around $50 million. Officials at the Massachusetts Department of Transportation released final plans for the reconstruction in early 2019, and the project is likely to begin in 2020.

—Staff writer Brie K. Buchanan can be reached at brie.buchanan@thecrimson.com.