Mr. History Post #5: Harvard Square Edition!

Up first, the Harvard Lampoon Building. Sometimes referred to as the “Lampoon Castle,” it was built in 1909 by Edmund M. Wheelwright, who took inspiration from the local architecture of Jamestown, Virginia. From the front it bears an obvious resemblance to a human head wearing a Prussian helmet. At the top of the building is a four-foot copper ibis, the mascot of the Lampoon. This ibis has been stolen and returned several times since 1909. Same famous peeps who worked here are Conan O’Brian and Colin Jost.

Since I was in the area I also swung by the puppeteer tiny bronze. The bronze statue is a replica of the “DooDoo” puppet used by street performer Igor Fokin. Igor Fokin was a puppeteer from St. Petersburg, who delighted passersby on the streets of Cambridge with his hand-carved marionettes that frolicked and danced to traditional Russian music. Fokin passed away of heart failure in September 1996, and the sculpture and accompanying plaque were commissioned to pay tribute to Igor and all street performers.

Finally passed by the old theatre. I haven’t been to the square in years, it’s looks almost the same, but a lot if it is very different.

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