The American Institute for Economic Research is housed on a 140-acre campus in the beautiful western Massachusetts Berkshires. Located in Great Barrington, far from Washington, D.C. groupthink, AIER’s campus environment fosters independent research and intellectual collaboration among resident scholars, fellows, and interns.
The work taking place on campus today continues the mission Col. E.C. Harwood envisioned when he picked this location for his new institute in 1946. Daily activities on campus include collaboration on original research, scholars engaging with the media from our tv studio to explain pressing economic issues to the interested everyman, visitors utilizing our vast library for projects, interns gaining skills and mentorship, and much more.
The most notable structure on campus is the Stone House, which was designed in the Cotswold style. It served as living space for the Harwood family and staff along with office space when AIER moved to Great Barrington. Today, it provides lodging accommodations for campus guests, a dining room where staff enjoy lunch together, a ballroom for events, and common spaces for relaxation and conversation.
To accommodate the expansion of research staff, students, and books, a structure was added on the hillside below the Stone House in 1963. Known as the E.C. Harwood Library, this 20,000-square foot building now contains AIER’s offices. We also benefit from a pond-side Tea House that we use for roundtable conferences and workshops. Campus also contains cottages and a Gate House, all of which accommodate visiting scholars, fellows, interns, and guests.
The intellectual activity on campus honors Col. Harwood’s memory and is the driving force behind AIER’s status as the nation’s premier classical liberal institution.