Building Plans Revive Land Swap Possibility

Saturday's announcement of plans for the new International Studies building on the site of Lawrence Hall has reopened the possibility of a land swap between Harvard and Cambridge.

In the exchange, originally suggested last November by Robert E. Rudolph, Cambridge Director of Traffic, portions of Kirkland and Oxford Streets would go to the University. Cambridge, in return, would receive land in front of Littauer Center plus the right to build a footbridge from a point near Littauer to the Yard.

Rudolph said yesterday that if the trade were made, the city could remove the congested intersection of Kirkland and Cambridge streets. The sections of Kirkland St. between Cambridge and Quincy and of Oxford St. between Kirkland and Everett would become University property, eliminating the intersection.

"If we could get a pedestrian overpass, both Harvard and Cambridge would benefit," Rudolph added. He said that the trade "would give Harvard sites, and would give Cambridge a better traffic pattern."

Don K. Price, Dean of the Faculty of Public Administration, said that he was "receptive" to the idea, but cautioned that Harvard's acceptance of the proposal would depend on the amount of land that was involved.

Cambridge Mayor Edward A. Crane '35 seemed more enthusiastic about the proposal. Rounding out the corner where Cambridge St. bends around Littauer would be a significant improvement to traffic flow, Crane said, although he cautioned that individual decisions of this kind "must be weighed on their merits."

"We've had such exchanges in the past to the mutual advantage of both parties. It's like a good baseball deal," Crane added.