Maker Info
Harvard Computation Laboratory
The Harvard Computation Laboratory was established in 1944 when IBM presented the Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator (ASSC) Mark I computer to Harvard University. The machine was designed and built by Howard Aiken with IBM engineers Frank Hamilton, Benjamin Durfee, and Clair D. Lake. (It is now part of the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments.)
A new building was constructed at the corner of Oxford Street and Jarvis Street to house the big Mark I in 1946. Aiken was the first director. The Computation Laboratory was renamed after him at a later date. The building was taken down in 1997 to make way for the Maxwell Dworkin Laboratory.
In 1962, the Harvard Computing Center was formed by combining the computer operational staff and the programming staff of the Littauer Statistical Laboratory. At that time, the functions of the two labs were merged.
