Lesley University Expands With Acquisition of Five Historical buildings
July 25, 2018 - By The Real Reporter
CAMBRIDGE–Lesley University has purchased five buildings located in the Cambridge historic district, previously owned by the Episcopal Divinity School (EDS). The acquisition makes Lesley the sole owner of the 4.4-acre Brattle Campus and marks the largest investment in the Brattle neighborhood since 2008. This is the first major capital expenditure since the university completed and opened the Lunder Arts Center at 1801 Massachusetts Ave. in 2015, creating a nexus for the arts in Cambridge’s Porter Square. The movement also benefits the university to continue its strategic expansion intiative, Lesley 2030.
Hands. D Strauch, Board of Trustees at Lesley University, elaborated on the impact of the purchase. “It is our intention that this be another significant moment in our history…one that allows us to continue to engage and expand our innovative and transformative work in service of our students, our communities and society at large,” praised Strauch.
Jeff A. Weiss, President of Lesley University, spoke about partnering with EDS and future plans for the campus. “We are thrilled to have worked so collaboratively with our longtime partner, the Episcopal Divinity School, on the purchase of the remainder of the Brattle Campus…as we consider our current needs and plans for the future, I am excited about what this will enable us to do for our students, faculty, staff and alumni…our plan is to make this campus a vibrant and integral part of Lesley’s community of teaching, learning, research and practice,” extolled Weiss.
The purchase includes five buildings and the remaining half of a shared structure, including: St. John’s Memorial Chapel, an 1867-built chapel of about 10,000 sq. ft., Wright Hall, a former 6,300 sq. ft. library built in 1911, Burnham Hall, a three-story former dormitory and refectory of just under 10,000 sq. ft., Reed Hall, an 1873-vintage, 8,700 sq.ft. structure, 4 Berkeley St., a 9,800-square-foot, Victorian-style structure built around 1851, and the remainder of Sherrill Library at 89 Brattle St., constructed in 1965, a striking, limestone-veneer, 52,000-square-foot building that houses the bulk of the university’s collection, in addition to classrooms, lecture halls and offices.
Hans D. Strauch
Jeff A. Weiss
