[2][3] The building possesses great significance in the history of American education and in the development of the Thirteen Colonies during the 18th century.

Massachusetts Hall was designed by Harvard Presidents John Leverett and his successor Benjamin Wadsworth.

The building initially was a dormitory, including 32 chambers and 64 small private studies for the 64 students it was designed to house.

Members of the Wigglesworth, Weld, Thayer, Eliot, and Lowell families (among others), whose names now grace other dormitories, also lived in Massachusetts Hall.

More recent notable residents of Massachusetts Hall include Alan Jay Lerner, Elliot Richardson, John Harbison, and Jeff Schaffer.