Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center

Construction on the Shriver Center began in 1968 with money from a large federal grant and was combined with the connected CERC structure to form a new $1.2 million complex at the school. It took several years to complete, with the building officially opening in July of 1970. Originally slated to become the University Affiliated Center for the Retarded, it was subsequently named Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center in honor of her contributions to the field of developmental disability. Located on an old ball field near Trapelo Road at the main entrance, the Shriver-CERC complex was the only institutional building at Fernald that could be readily be seen from outside the property.

The building contained offices, dark rooms, wet labs and animal testing facilities, conducting various forms of scientific research on disability. The Shriver Center was merged with the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in July of 2001. Researchers worked in tandem with programs at CERC and Withington until the Fernald campus closed in 2014. The structure was abated and demolished in 2019.