Construction Proceeds on Harvard’s New Economics Building

Harvard University has commenced the structural phase of Pritzker Hall, a new nine-story academic facility designed to house the university’s Department of Economics. The project, which broke ground in June 2023, aims to modernize the department's infrastructure and provide expanded collaborative space that its current 1938-era headquarters lacks. Expected to be completed by December 2027, the development represents a major institutional investment in the Cambridge construction landscape, driven by significant alumni donations.

Construction is currently advancing on Pritzker Hall, a nine-story academic building at Harvard University supported by a $100 million lead gift from Penny S. Pritzker. A major milestone was reached on June 15 with the start of the building’s structural steel framework erection. The new facility is being built behind the Littauer Center for Public Administration and is intended to alleviate severe space constraints for the Department of Economics, which currently serves 58 faculty members, 200 graduate students, and over 1,000 undergraduates. The project is scheduled for completion in December 2027.

The new building will include a variety of offices, collaborative workspaces, classrooms, and meeting rooms designed to foster faculty interaction and student mentorship. Specific interior developments include an event and teaching space named for Hong-Tu Tsai, funded by a donation from the Tsai family. The move to a modern facility addresses the limitations of the department’s current home, the Littauer Center, which was built in 1938 and has not undergone a significant interior renovation since 1978. The new infrastructure is also designed to support newly endowed professorships focusing on climate change, energy economics, and real-world economic applications.

From a construction and architectural perspective, the project highlights the challenges of integrating modern, high-density academic buildings into historic campus footprints. The Littauer Center, originally designed by the firm Coolidge, Shepley, Bulfinch, and Abbott, currently houses the Fine Arts Library and various administrative offices, and Harvard officials have noted that discussions regarding the future use of the older building are ongoing. The Pritzker Hall project underscores a broader trend in the institutional sector where aging facilities are being supplemented or replaced by specialized, donor-funded structures that prioritize collaborative research environments and sustainable growth.