Contractors Bid on Finished Plans For Renovations of Memorial Hall

The architects' plans for the restoration of Memorial Hall to its former splendor have gone out to three contractors for their bids, Cecil A. Roberts, Superintendent of Buildings and Groups, said yesterday. As soon as an acceptable bid comes in, Roberts added, work will begin on the $80,000 to $100,000 job, which should be completed by the end of the summer.

The restoration project is the culmination of a drive begun last fall to restore the Civil War memorial to its original appearance. At that time, alumni were protesting in the Alumni Bulletin that Memorial Hall was in a "downright shabby, shoddy, and shameful state."

Included in the plans for restoration are a new railing, with a weather vane at each corner, around the now barren top of the building; dormers over the clocks; various pinnacles down the side of the building; and copper sheathing for those portions which are covered by asphalt tile at the present time.

Since most of the work will be done in the contractor's shop and then applied directly to the building, there should be no disruption in the building's use. In addition, the necessary scaffolding will be placed on the platform which is the base of the roof, and thus will not interfere with entrance into Memorial Hall.

Among the other University building plans for the summer are the alternation of the new Prescott St. dorms; renovation in the Gray Herbarium to provide space for the Harvard University Press and Observatory offices; and the building of the numerous structures which will house the new electron accelerator. The latter project may not begin until the fall.