Center for the Study of World Religions

Light floods the Center for the Study of World Religions, designed by Josep Lluís Sert, then dean of the Graduate School of Design. A native of Barcelona, Sert planned the building around a central courtyard in a Mediterranean manner. Fitting into its domestic context, it was designed as both a residence and as an adjunct study center of the Divinity School across the street. Similarly, Sert's own house (begun in 1957 and located nearby at 64 Francis Street) was organized around three courts. The inward-focused one-story dwelling sits comfortably among the earlier and larger Colonial Revival residences that define this academic enclave.