City Department: Occupy Dome Violated Cambridge Codes

The Occupy movement that swept the nation this past fall made history, some say—but at Harvard, according to a local commission, the demonstrators should have had a permit if they wanted to park their protest on historic ground.

The Cambridge Historical Commission, a city department that oversees significant sites in Cambridge including Harvard Yard, notified Harvard administrators last week that the long-term presence of a weather-proof dome erected by Occupy Harvard protesters violated a city code.

The Historical Commission sent a letter informing the University that a permit is required to erect any permanent structure in a historic district. Harvard is responsible, the letter stated, for making sure that groups acting on University property—even one like Occupy Harvard that protests the University’s policies—adhere to local regulations.

Occupy Harvard protesters said they were unaware of the permitting regulation before the commission sent its letter to Harvard.

Although Occupy Harvard first pitched its tents in early November and set up the geodesic dome less than three weeks later, the commission did not consider it necessary to inform Harvard of the permitting rule until recently. When members of the department first saw the dome, they believed it would be temporary, according to Charles Sullivan, the commission’s executive director.

But the dome proved to have more staying power than the Historical Commission estimated. “When it was still there over the holidays, we felt it was important to bring Harvard’s attention to the fact that Harvard Yard is a historic district,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan said that the letter was not intended to disrupt the Occupy protest, adding that the commission would be “happy to issue temporary permits” if applicants follow proper procedures to seek such accommodations.

As of now, however, the dome is no more. Harvard officials removed it from the Yard on the same day that they received the Historical Commission’s letter. Administrators say that the letter did not motivate them to seize the dome; rather, according to Faculty of Arts and Sciences spokesperson Jeff Neal, the University grew concerned for pedestrians’ safety after high winds caused the structure to move several feet across the Yard earlier that day.

On the Occupy Harvard website, protesters complained that the University’s removal of their dome and information tent impinged on their right to free speech on campus but vowed to continue their activism.

—Staff writer Nathalie R. Miraval can be reached at nmiraval@college.harvard.edu.