Contact & Directions

Address
38 Kirkland Street
Cambridge, MA 02138

Phone: (617) 495-4055
Fax: (617) 496-8584
Email: cmes@fas.harvard.edu

Hours:
9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Monday - Friday

For contact information for individual CMES staff and faculty, please visit the People section.

Directions
CMES is located at 38 Kirkland Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on the corner of Kirkland Street and Sumner Road. A 10-minute walk from Harvard Square, CMES is easily reached by public transportation.


CMES can also be found on this interactive map of Harvard University's Cambridge campus. Enter "38 Kirkland Street" into the search box.

Via Public Transportation
-By Subway: Take the "T" (MBTA) Red line to Harvard Square and refer to Walking Directions, below.
-By Bus: There are many bus lines that go directly to Harvard Square. Click here to access MBTA bus schedules and view trip planning software.

Walking Directions
CMES is a short walk from the Harvard Square "T" stop on the Red line. Exit the "T" at the Church Street exit and enter the campus through the Harvard Yard gates at the top of the Church Street exit stairs. Walk through Harvard Yard, bearing left towards the modern gray and glass Science Center building. Turn right at the Science Center and walk past Memorial Hall down Kirkland Street. Stay on the right side of Kirkland and continue until you have passed William James Hall (a tall white building on your left). 38 Kirkland Street is the last building on the right before you reach Sumner Road. It is a large grey house with white columns at the front. The main entrance to CMES is on the driveway side of the building.

Driving Directions
From I-90 (Massachusetts Turnpike):

  • Take the Cambridge/Allston exit (#18). Keep right after the toll plaza
  • Go straight over the River Street Bridge (over the Charles River)
  • Immediately make a left turn onto Memorial Drive (the river is now on your left)
  • At the third light, turn right onto JFK Street
  • JFK Street becomes Massachusetts Avenue (MA 2A West) as you pass through the heart of Harvard Square
  • After passing through Harvard Square, bear right onto Cambridge Street at the split
  • Pass the Harvard Graduate School of Design on the left, turn left onto Sumner Road. CMES is located at the corner of Sumner Road and Kirkland Street

From Massachusetts Avenue or Route 2A West in Boston:

  • Cross the Mass Ave/Harvard Bridge and continue on Massachusetts Avenue (Route 2A West) for 1.9 miles
  • After passing through Harvard Square, bear right onto Cambridge Street at split
  • Pass the Graduate School of Design, turn left onto Sumner Road. CMES is located at the corner of Sumner Road and Kirkland Street

From Route 2A East:

  • Follow signs for Route 2 East as you approach Cambridge and bear right onto the Alewife Brook Parkway
  • Pass the Alewife MBTA Red line Station on the right
  • Continue over the overpass, pass the Fresh Pond Mall on the left
  • Follow signs for Route 2 East to Boston through two rotaries
  • Take a left turn onto Memorial Drive (Route 2 East)
  • Stay on Memorial Drive and turn left onto JFK Street
  • JFK Street becomes Massachusetts Avenue/MA 2A West
  • After passing through Harvard Square, bear right onto Cambridge Street at split
  • Pass the Graduate School of Design, turn left onto Sumner Road. CMES is located at the corner of Sumner Road and Kirkland Street

Parking
Parking is extremely limited in and around Harvard Square. If you do not have pre-arranged parking or if you do not have time to search for a parking spot at a meter, we strongly recommend taking public transportation.

There are a number of public parking garages in Harvard Square:
-Trinity Property's Harvard Square Parking Garage, 20 Eliot Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
-Parkopedia's Church Street Garage, 41 Church Street, Cambridge MA 02138
-VPNE Parking Solution's University Place Garage, 45 University Road, Cambridge, MA 02138
-Charles Square Garage, One Bennett Street, Cambridge, MA 02138

It is possible to purchase a one-day weekday visitor’s pass for $19 from Harvard's Parking Office. Begin by clicking here and create a Visitor log in; choose ‘Middle Eastern Studies’ from the drop-down menu and enter ‘3013’ for department code. In the drop-down list of parking lots, scroll down to select, "Broadway Levels 3 & Up: 7:00AM-11:30PM". Be sure to print out your parking pass and bring it with you. 

The Broadway Garage is located on Felton Street, between Broadway and Cambridge Streets (map). Please note, Broadway Garage does not have an elevator. On weekends, you can purchase a pass to park in the Francis Avenue lot (map), at the Harvard Divinity School.