VSBA

The Dumbarton Oaks estate dates to the 18th century.  In 1920, Mildred and Robert Woods Bliss acquired the property and, over the next 45 years renovated and expanded it to house their noted Pre-Columbian and Byzantine collections and library.  Working with landscape architect Beatrix Ferrand, they transformed the grounds into a series of noteworthy gardens. […]

In 1920, Mildred and Robert Woods Bliss acquired the Dumbarton Oaks property for their noted Pre-Columbian and Byzantine collections and library.  Working with landscape architect Beatrix Ferrand, they transformed the grounds into a series of noted gardens. In 1940, they created the Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection to be managed by Harvard University.  VSBA […]

The renovation of Rockefeller Hall and the construction of a new landscaped green in a decommissioned parking area — the first increments of Harvard Divinity School’s (HDS) campus plan — followed VSBA’s programming study for the campus, whose goals were to promote an enhanced sense of community at the School, strengthen connections between the Divinity […]

We restored and renovated Harvard University’s Memorial Hall as a campus and dining center.  Designed by Ware and Van Brunt between 1865 and 1870 to commemorate Harvard’s Civil War dead, Memorial Hall is one of the finest examples of Ruskinian Gothic architecture in the nation.  The renovated Memorial Hall contains the soaring Annenberg Hall, restored […]

The agreement between the governing boards of Harvard and Radcliffe that created the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study also established its mission:  “The purpose of the Radcliffe Institute will be to create an academic community where individuals can pursue advanced work in the academic disciplines, professions, or creative arts.  Within this broad purpose, and in […]

Fay House is the original home of Radcliffe College and now the administrative building for the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study.  It was built in 1807 and expanded both horizontally and vertically over the years. Following an initial programming study and scoping analysis, VSBA embarked on a renovation to preserve the most important historic features […]

VSBA programmed and designed a renovation of the Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library for the History of Women in America, one of a group of buildings at the head of historic Radcliffe Yard.  Built in 1907 and originally home to the Radcliffe College Library, the building became a research library in 1967.  It’s now an […]