Simmons Hall, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 229 Vassar Street, Cambridge, MA
Steven Holl with Perry Dean Rogers Partners, 2005
I was inspired to highlight 31 buildings in Boston in 31 days after the architecture blog A Daily Dose of Architecture . Not only was I going to highlight 31 buildings, but 31 of Bostonian’s favorite buildings. This is the series.
About Simmons Hall:
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is one of those institutions in the state that boasts of a campus rich in innovative architectural experiements, and Simmons Hall is truly one of those. This is not only a dormitory for students, but a work of sculpture for the rest of us to ponder its beauty. The play of light as the day ages on the surfaces of Simmons Hall is a feast for the senses. I’ve walked by it at different times of the day and the colors never cease to amaze me. Can you sense how much I like this building? You can take a self-guided Modern architecture tour of the MIT campus and stop by Simmons Halls on your way to Baker House. (There are books on the architecture of Cambridge with a tour for the MIT campus, or stop by the List Visual Art Center and pick up one of their brochures on the great public art collection on the campus).
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Simmons Hall, Cambridge. Architect: Steven Holl
Photo: http://www.Boston.com
Todd Larson
/ October 28, 2010Controversial as this building has been, I thought it was a handsome addition to MIT’s modernist campus upon its dedication. It represents a union of the organic and the geometric — very rectilinear and rectangular, but so like a sponge!