Wheatley Hall

In 1974, Wheatley Hall rose from the ashes of a former landfill, a beacon of hope on the Columbia Point peninsula. UMass Boston, the city’s sole public university, finally had a home. The building, along with McCormack Hall, the Science Center, Healey Library, and the Quinn Administration Building, formed the heart of the new campus. Wheatley Hall, named after the remarkable poet Phillis Wheatley Peters in 1985, quickly became a hub of student activity. But its initial design, a confusing maze of hallways, earned it the nickname “the fortress” or even “the prison.” Ironically, the library, a stark contrast in design, was created by Harry Mohr Weese, an architect who had also designed a correctional facility in Chicago. While Wheatley Hall offered much-needed space, its early days were marked by whispers of shoddy construction. These whispers became a roar in 2006 when the underground parking garage, deemed structurally unsound, was permanently closed. Now, above ground, Wheatley Hall stands as a testament to both the university’s growth and its struggles. It’s a place where students navigate not just the physical maze, but also the complexities of higher education, echoing the journey of Phillis Wheatley Peters herself. Her name, a blend of the slave ship that brought her to America and the family who enslaved her, serves as a constant reminder of the poet’s resilience and triumph. While the name might not fully capture her liberated identity as Phillis Wheatley Peters, her legacy resonates within these walls.