William James Hall

the building was designed by I.M. Pei and was supposed to house heavy science equipment. It was discovered after it was under construction that the ground would not support the weight.
Other I. M. Pei buildings in the area have near-​fatal flaws as well.
I prefer function over form, but am beginning to think Mr. Pei trades in neither…

This is the tallest and, possibly, the ugliest building in Cambridge. It looks like a soviet filing cabinet. But, it has a few strengths. 1) from the 15^th floor there is a beautiful panoramic view of Cambridge & Boston. 2) It houses the psychology department of Harvard University, where you can earn some fast cash participating in (harmless) studies whilst contributing to science. 3) The evening security guard has enough interesting prison guarding stories to keep you entertained for a lifetime.
My one recommendation: avoid the slow elevator on your far right as you enter — it takes forever to get anywhere in ol’ slowie…

The set-​up: William James Hall, or WJH, is 15 stories high and houses the psychology, sociology, and anthropology departments at Harvard. It’s serviced by three elevators, which get pretty crowded at the hour when students are leaving and arriving at classes.
True story: I was an undergrad psychology major working in a lab on the 14^th floor. Natalie Portman was also an undergrad psychology major a few years behind me. No fewer than 5 times, I had the pleasure of sitting on the elevator an extra 20 seconds so her lazy ass could ride up to the 2^nd floor. She is very short.
I was waiting for the tabloids to pay me off for that juicy story, but I love Unilocal so much I’ll share it here for free.
PS If you want a fantastic view of Cambridge and Boston, the 14^th and 15^th floors of WJH are unbeatable on a clear day.