Jan 18, 2017
MIT signs agreement to develop Volpe Center
MIT signed an agreement with the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) to redevelop the John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center...
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Culture
April 29, 2015
Sean Collier Memorial
The Collier Memorial is dedicated to celebrate the life of MIT Police Officer Sean Collier. In a shape akin to an open hand, the memorial represents...
February 2015
MIT Chapel renewal, Building W15
Renewal of the Chapel is completed, restoring this iconic...
Culture NOV 18, 2013
Lobby 10 renamed in honor of fallen veterans
MIT’s Lobby 10 was renamed “Memorial Lobby” to commemorate MIT alumni who have given their lives in wartime...
FEB 15, 2013
Great Dome's oculus is reopened
For the first time in more than 70 years, the space beneath the dome — the Barker Library reading room, a 75-foot rotunda with an intricate 27-foot...
2012
Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center
The Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center (MGHPCC) in Holyoke, MA, is completed. A joint venture funded by the state, MIT, the University...
https://mitstory.mit.edu/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail-sized/public/Maseeh%20Hall.jpg?itok=AcRAQ-nm
Sep 14, 2011
Fariborz Maseeh Hall
Fariborz Maseeh Hall was unveiled after a two-year renovation. Originally built as the Riverbank Court Hotel in 1901, the building was acquired by MIT in 1937...
May 2011
MIT Sloan School, Building E62
Building E62 opens as the Sloan School of Management’s new home....
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Mar 4, 2011
Koch Institute
The dedication of the David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research is held...
2011
Arthur D. Little Building, E60
A full renovation and restoration of the Arthur D. Little Building (E60) is completed, integrating the building’s landmark historic qualities with sustainable design strategies...
March 2010
Media Lab Complex, Building E14
Building E14 is built to increase the size of the MIT Media...
2009
Revitalization of Vassar Street (West)
An intensive collaboration between the City of Cambridge and MIT, the Vassar Street West...
Apr 18, 2008
Maihaugen Gallery
The MIT Libraries open the Maihaugen Gallery to showcase rare documents, photographs, books, maps and artwork from the...
2008
New Ashdown House, Building NW35
The first MIT building to receive LEED Gold certification, the new Ashdown House opens as a graduate residence, offering a mix of living options to...
October 2007
Green Center for Physics dedicated
With the opening of the Green Center for Physics (6C), a five-story glass structure built between Buildings 4, 6, and 8, the Physics Department ...
December 2005
Brain and Cognitive Sciences Complex, Building 46
MIT opens the Brain and Cognitive Sciences Complex – the largest neuroscience center in the world. To support interdisciplinary research and teaching,...
May 2004
Ray and Maria Stata Center, Building 32
The Ray and Maria Stata Center is completed. Designed by Frank Gehry, the unconventional building features tilting towers...
October 2002
Simmons Hall, Building W79
Architect Steven Holl cites a sea sponge as inspiration for the “porous”...
October 2002
Sidney-Pacific (graduate residence), Building NW86
Graduate residence Sidney-Pacific opens, the result of students, faculty, and administration...
October 2002
Zesiger Sports and Fitness Center, Building W35
MIT completes the Albert and Barrie Zesiger Sports and Fitness Center (a.k.a. the “Z-Center”), a ...
2002
Baker House renovation, Building W7
The landmark Baker House residence hall is reopened following a four-phase renovation....
2001
The Warehouse, Building NW30
As the need for graduate housing continues to grow, MIT opens The Warehouse residence to provide a community for graduate students who prefer private...
Mar 1998
Building 20 demolition
Building 20 is demolished to make room for construction of the new Ray and Maria Stata Center.
Dec 4, 1996
Lewis Music Library
The MIT Lewis Music Library is dedicated. The score of John Harbison's "Veni Creator Spiritus," composed for the event...
1992
Microelectronics Laboratory becomes operational
The Lincoln Laboratory Microelectronics Laboratory is a 70,000-sq. ft. state-of-the-art...
Oct 1990
Vest's office hack
In a friendly hack, students hide President Vest's office door behind a fake bulletin board on his first day of work...
Jun 3, 1974
Killian Court
The Great Court is renamed Killian Court in honor of James R. Killian '26.
1973
Tang Hall, Building W84
Unmarried graduate students begin moving into small apartment suites in the newly completed Tang Hall (Building W84). An imposing 24-story modernist...
1970
The Dreyfus Building, Building 18
The completed Dreyfus Building provides new research and laboratory space for the Chemistry Department. Designed by MIT alumnus I.M. Pei ‘40,...
1967
Eastgate, Building E55
The 30-story Eastgate tower is completed, offering one- and two-bedroom ...
Sep 9, 1966
Pierce Boathouse
The Harold Whitworth Pierce Boathouse is dedicated. The new boathouse includes one of the most advanced indoor rowing simulators...
Oct 9, 1965
Student Center
A new Student Center, designed by MIT Professor of Architecture Eduardo Catalano, is opened and named in honor of Julius A. Stratton.
1965
Whitaker Building, Building 56
MIT establishes a new center for life sciences with the dedication of the Whitaker Building (56). It is constructed on a “floating” slab...
1965
The Hermann Building, Building E53
Designed by MIT professor Eduardo F. Catalano, the Grover M. Hermann Building is completed, an example of brutalist architecture. Its floor plan features...
1965
Materials Science and Engineering Building, Building 13
The Materials Science Building (13) is officially dedicated. An integrated research laboratory encompassing a variety of disciplines...
Oct 8, 1964
Haystack operations
Lincoln Lab's Haystack radar facility begins operations. For the first 10 years, the primary role of Haystack is as a planetary astronomy radar...
1964
Green Building
The Green Building (Building 54), designed by I.M. Pei '40, is completed and named for benefactors Cecil and Ida Green...
1963
McCormick Hall
Stanley R. McCormick Hall (W51), the first women's dormitory on the Cambridge campus, is dedicated. The funds for the new building are...
1957
Bexley Hall
One section of Bexley Hall is converted into a women's residence for 50 students as a supplement to the housing provided at 120 Bay State Road.
May 8, 1955
MIT Chapel and Kresge Auditorium
The dedication of the MIT Chapel and Kresge Auditorium is held. The ceremony includes the premier of Aaron Copland's "Canticle of Freedom"...
Sep 13, 1954
Lincoln Laboratory occupies current facility
Lincoln Laboratory moves into its current facility...
1952
Lever Brothers Building, Building E52
The newly established School of Industrial Management moves into Building E52. Constructed in 1938 as the Massachusetts headquarters for the Lever Brothers...
May 1950
Charles Hayden Memorial Library
The dedication of the Charles Hayden Memorial Library is held. The ceremony includes the premier of Bohuslav Martinu's "Trio in D minor for...
1950
Central Utilities Plant, converting to natural gas
The four original boilers in MIT’s Central Utilities Plant are removed and replaced. Coal-fired when installed (1915) and later converted to oil...
1950
Burton House and Conner Hall, Building W51
MIT opens conjoined six-story residence halls for undergraduates: Burton House and Conner Hall. Originally constructed in 1926 as part of the Riverside...
1949
Baker House, Building W7
The “New Dormitory,” designed by Finnish architect Alvar Aalto, opens for undergraduates. The building (W7) is shaped like a wave to maximize...
1947
Rockwell Cage
MIT acquires the Rockwell Athletic Cage, the first step toward the development of the duPont Athletic Center...
1946
Westgate and Westgate West (married military student housing)
Responding to the influx of postwar students, MIT’s new Housing Bureau builds Westgate...
1943
Building 20
Originally intended as a temporary structure, Building 20 is constructed as one of several facilities for government radar research...
1942
Military Science, Building 12
Designed by the firm of Coolidge & Carlson, the new Building 12 welcomes the Military Science department. Soon after the end of World War II, Building...
1940
Alumni Pool, Building 57
Designed by MIT alumni and faculty members Herbert Beckwith and Lawrence Anderson, the Alumni Swimming Pool is completed...
Sep 12, 1938
Wright Brothers Wind Tunnel
The Wright Brothers Wind Tunnel, one of a series of subsonic wind tunnels used for aerodynamic research at MIT since 1896, is dedicated at the 5th International...
1938
First solar house
Professor of Chemical Engineering Hoyt C. Hottel '24 oversees the building of the first solar house in America, known as "Solar I," as chairman...
1938
Rogers Building, Building 7
Building 7 is completed at 77 Massachusetts Avenue, which serves as the Institute’s official mailing address. In 1939, when MIT’s original...
1935
MIT Sailing Pavilion, Building 51
MIT completes construction of the nation’s first collegiate sailing facility. Through...
1932
George Eastman Research Laboratory
The George Eastman Research Laboratory for physics is built.
1929
Sloan Automotive Laboratory, Building 31
Pursuant to a grant from General Motors CEO Alfred P. Sloan, Jr., the Sloan Automotive...
1924
Wood, Hayden and Monroe Dormitories, Buildings 62 and 64
MIT opens a second student dormitory on its east campus (Building 64). Designed by the architects of Coolidge and Carlson (associates of William Welles...
1921
The Pratt Building (naval architecture and marine engineering)
MIT’s naval architecture and marine engineering program moves into its new building, designed by William Welles Bosworth and made possible by...
1928
Richard M. Homberg Memorial Infirmary
A project proposed and spearheaded by Dr. George W. Morse, the on-campus Richard M. Homberg Memorial Infirmary opens its doors and proceeds to serve...
1917
Gray House, MIT’s president’s house
Completed in 1917, the President’s House (E1) is the last piece of the original William Welles Bosworth campus to be constructed. It is three...
Jun 14, 1916
Telephone banquet
The telephone banquet is held in conjunction with the 1916 dedication of the Cambridge campus...
Jun 1916
Walker Memorial
Walker Memorial, designed by Welles Bosworth '89, is built and dedicated in honor of former MIT President Francis A. Walker.
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Culture Jun 1916
Cambridge campus dedication
MIT holds a three-day celebration of the move from Boston to Cambridge...
April 1916
The Maclaurin Buildings
Buildings 3, 4, and 10 (later known as part of the “Main Group”) are completed and named in honor of MIT President Maclaurin. They are the...
1916
Senior House
The first dormitory, now known as Senior House, opens on the new Cambridge campus...
1916
MIT Central Utilities Plant
When building its Cambridge campus, MIT includes a state-of-the-art district steam and electrical power plant. This coal-powered central facility (Building...
1915
Names on MIT buildings
President Maclaurin solicits suggestions from MIT faculty for names to be inscribed above the building entrances...
1912
Freeman study
John Ripley Freeman '76 completes "Study No. 7," which details how MIT's Cambridge campus can be designed and built...
1912
Mystery donor, "Mr. Smith"
Mr. Smith contributes $2.5 million, enabling the construction of "The New Technology." Eight years later, the mystery donor is revealed to be George Eastman of Eastman-Kodak.
1912
Vision of the New Technology Campus in Cambridge
After months of negotiations, MIT acquires a new site for its campus consisting of 50 flat acres in Cambridge alongside the Charles River. The purchase...
Oct 11, 1905
End of Harvard-MIT merger plan
The Corporation votes not to merge with Harvard after the Massachusetts Supreme Court rules against the sale of MIT's Back Bay land...
1904
Third proposed Harvard-MIT merger
The MIT Corporation votes to merge with Harvard. Faculty and alumni oppose...
Dec 1903
Tech Union
The Tech Union, the first gathering place for students, is established in two rooms above the Mechanical Laboratories Building...
1903
Massachusetts Militia Armory, Building W31
The City of Cambridge finishes building a new armory on Massachusetts Avenue, between Wellesley and Vassar Streets. A fortified brick structure with...
1902
First dormitory
Technology Chambers, the first dormitory built for MIT students, is erected at the intersection of Huntington Ave. and Irvington St. in Boston's Back Bay..
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Discovery 1896
First wind tunnel
A small wind tunnel using air current from MIT's ventilating system is built by MIT student Albert J. Wells...
1888
Engineering Building
The Engineering Building is built to house the departments of Mechanical and Civil Engineering...
1883
Margaret Cheney Reading Room
The Margaret Cheney Reading Room for female students is dedicated in honor of one of the first female students at MIT...
Nov 1876
Women's Laboratory
At the request of Ellen Swallow Richards and with funds from the Woman's Education Association of Boston, a new chemistry...
1875
Gymnasium
A drill hall and gymnasium are built at the corner of Boylston and Clarendon streets in Boston for MIT students...
Apr 8, 1873
Back Bay land
The Massachusetts Legislature approves MIT's application for a parcel of land for the purpose of expansion in the Back Bay...
1866
First building
The first MIT building in Boston's Back Bay is completed and occupied. It is later named the Rogers Building...
Feb 20, 1865
First classes
The first classes are held in Boston in the Mercantile Building. MIT continues to rent rooms...
1865
Architecture curriculum
MIT Professor William Ware distributes his groundbreaking proposal, An Outline of the Course of Instruction in Building...
April 10, 1861
Back Bay property awarded to MIT
At the same time as it approves MIT’s charter, the Massachusetts legislature awards a recently filled Back Bay property lot to MIT...
1860
Objects and Plan of an Institute of Technology
Objects and Plan of an Institute of Technology is prepared by William Barton Rogers...
1859
Unsuccessful petition
A group of Boston institutions file an unsuccessful petition for some of the newly filled Back Bay lands...