Gund Hall: A Reunion Is Set 7 Years Later

Next month's dedication ceremony of Gund Hall, the Graduate School of Design's new headquarters promises more than just the pomp and page entry usually associated with such affairs. It will also be a reunion for the cast of characters involved in one of Harvard's most complex scenarios.

Most of the people responsible for the conception Gund Hall back in 1965 are no longer connected with the University. Since the Corporation approved the GSD's request to apply for federal funds, Harvard has welcomed its 25th president, a new GSD and an almost new Design School faculty. Perhaps the only group that stayed with the project from start to finish has been the design firm, Andrews-Anderson-Baldwin of Toronto Canada.

There were times however, when the design team wondered whether the building would ever make it to Dedication Day. The first relationship with the GSD faculty, strained best deteriorate are during the crucial period just before bids went out in 1969. Edward R. Baldwin, who acred as partner-in-charge for the firm, said the most difficult obstacle was obtaining any faculty cooperation at all.

The decision to build Gund Hall was not made by the current faculty. last week from Toranto. A great deal of bitterness existed because of the financial pressures the building created. I had to fight total party of the part of the GSD.

That's not all the design team had to fight. The GSD has had its problems in the past out years. In addition to contending with the general financial squeeze through the University the new Dean, Maurice D. Kilbridge has had grievance, lodged against him by three senior GSD faculty members. A former faculty member Chester W. Hartman '57, is still appealing his dismissal over two years ago. Women at the School have filed hiring complaints with the Department of Health Education and Welfare.

When the building that in body wanted is dedicated on October 12 it will mark the culmination of project that began over seven years ago. In 1965 it be came apparent that Robinson Hall built in 1902--couldn't keep pace with the Design School rate of growth Since 1922 the GSD found it necessary to expand twice to nearby buildings and the concept of a unified Design School under one root no longer existed even remotely.

In 1965 the University secured a federal grant of 52 million--one third of the projected cost-and a faculty student committee was organized to devise a tentative program.

But the committee ran into the first of many long delays. Gund Hall had been scheduled for construction on the site where Hunt Hall stands in the Yard. Its present location--the corner of Cambridge and Oxford Sts opposite Memorial Hall-became open when the University finally purchased the land from a nearby church after many years of tedious negotiations.

The acquisition of the church land, a superior site, meant the University had to resubmit an application for federal aid and repeat its battle with Cambridge over zoning ordinances. The committee also began to revise its plans using the larger site to expand the building to its present size, about 155,000 square feet. While the committee worked out a detailed program, the Corporation made plans to engage an architect. The GSD faculty favored an international competition to select the design firm. According to Jose Louis Sert, dean of the Design School until the summer of 1969. President Pusey disliked the idea of a competition, and the suggestion was scrapped instead, each member of the GSD faculty was asked to submit a list of capable architects.

Although the selection process is unknown, the architect who was eventually hired, John Andrews, studied under Sert and received his degree from the GSD Although Sert refuses to divulge the contents of the list he submitted, he acknowledges great respect for Andrews. "He was one of my most brilliant students," Sert says.

In December 1967, the committee made a full presentation of its proposals to the architect. Three months later, Andrews returned to the Design School, and revealed his preliminary plans to the committee and the Harvard Planning Office (which had been chosen as consultant)

The design development drawings were approved in September 1968 and the architect received permission to complete the construction documents. Although some dissatisfaction had occurred up to this point, the most bungled chapters in the Gund Hall story would be written during the spring of 1969.

Nineteen sixty eight--sixty nine was a year of general turmoil throughout the University. The strike at Columbia University the previous cup many people here. The subsequent bust at University Hall in April 1969 forced such mundane projects as Gund Hall into monetary limbo.

During the early months of 1969 there were rumors that Gund Hall might never be built. A second committee--with an equal number of faculty and students--had been organized to investigate complaints about the project and a three-month inquiry into the feasibility of Gund Hall began. Although the committee eventually reaffirmed the program of its predecessor, the inquiry generated a great deal of bitterness between the faculty, the design firm, and the students.

William A. Doebele, professor of Advanced Environmental Studies and a member of the committee, recalled last week that the entire program of the building came under review. "A great many people thought the project should be abandoned, but the University was committed to it, and we had a federal grant. Many changes were suggested during the inquiry, but since the bid was just about to go out to construction firms, only a few changes were approved. A complete revamping of the design would have involved tremendous expense."

By then, the original $6 million price tag had reached $7 million. "This was no one's fault," Doable said. The ederal grantswas give in 1965 and since then, Boston has experienced a yearly inflation of 12-15 per cent."

Doebele also pointed out that the building boom inflated wages and there contractors bids. The bid for Gund Hall was given to Moses Slotnick a 1927 graduate of the Business School in August 1969. According to Doebele Slotnick had planned to finish the building in August 1971 but the death of the elder Slotnick delayed its completion.

Further delays occurred when certain design changes were ordered after construction was already underway. "Prior to Dean Kilbridge's appointment in 1969, the faculty was very apathetic. Then, with construction already started, some of the faculty suddenly became interested," Baldwin explained.

Expenses could have been considerably reduced if the GSD faculty had permitted the design firm to carry out the program approved in 1968. But the GSD in 1969 was substantially different from the GSD that commissioned Gund Hall in 1965. It may be difficult to design a building for scientists (consider the dissatisfaction with the Science Center) but it is next to impossible to design a building that will make a large number of architects happy.

There was considerable unhappiness within the GSD itself during 1969. Sert had resigned as dean, and Doebele was named acting dean to replace him. After Kilbridge assumed office in the summer of 1969, the GSD underwent a policy transformation.

Sert had not kept a tight rein on the different departments, and some observers attribute the internal squabbling about Gund Hall to Sert's lack of control. Kilbridge, however, keeps a firm grip on the various factions, a policy that induced three GSD professors to bring grievance charges against him in early 1971. So the design firm had to content not only with usual production delays, but with the shaks at the GSD itself

"It was a long and painful experience," architect Baldwin says. "The attitude at Harvard is that anyone should be thankful for the privilege of working with this University. Well, I'd have to say the building is a success in spite of the GSD."

Baldwin's pride in the completed building is justified. Despite the delays and internal squabbling. Gund Hall effectively promotes the "togetherness" concept the GSD faculty seeks. But the design firm- not the GSD faculty- is responsible for the large multi- level open studio that puts all the departments under one roof. The studio area, which rests beneath a sloping free spanning roof, was orginally designed as a collection of private cubicles. The design firm, and particularly Baldwin, fought for a four-level studio connected by stairways. At each of these levels, seminar rooms and departmental offices are located opposite the studios.

"We argued that separate cubicles would fragment the school," Baldwin says. "When we suggested our open studio idea in 1968, it was enthusiastically received. But after the design was finalized each department began to resist the concept."

It was at this point tha the student faculty committee began its major review of the design. Although they reapproved the plans, Baldwin decided to make certain the open would remain an intrinsic part of the building.

The purpose of the free span is to assure the open studio cannot be converted. If we had built columns, the departments would have partitions in the studio by the dedication ceremony," Baldwin explained.

Design students will still be able to construct a private working area if they desire, Killbridge says that each student will be provided materials such as angle irons and wood slots to erect a semi-isolated space.

The large area encompassed by the open studio does prevent some noise-problems. When the GSD became aware of the acoustical complications during construction, orders were given to the contractors to change some of the office space into additional seminar rooms for those who found it difficult to work in the noisy open studio. Baldwin says the unnecessary expense was compounded later by another order to change some of the recently converted seminar rooms back to offices--after some faculty complained because of the lack of sufficient office space.

These structural changes bumped the final cost up to $8 million. Doebele says the Gund family was very sympathetic to the financial pressures throughout the project, and defrayed all additional costs. The W.T. Piper Auditorium which seats about 400, and the Frances Loeb Library were funded separately with the stipulation that the building was constructed to permit entrance to both facilities without entering Gund Hall.

But the $2 million cost overrun, although not a University debt, has severely strapped the Design School's maintenance budget. Gund hall is not a typical Harvard building-money was raised to pay for the building, but not for its upkeep.

The Design School also paid a portion of the cost for the Chilled Water Plant, which is connected to the new Science Center. The Plant will air-condition Gund Hall and other new buildings north of the Yard, as well as the Science Center itself.

One of Kilbridge's innovations is a restaurant on the firat floor, where students will be able to keep an eye on their studios. The indoor cafe had been sold to In-and-Out Subs, and will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Kilbridge was enthused with the idea, but Baldwin expressed concern.

"We wanted a restaurant back in 1967, but the idea was rejected," Baldwin says. "Kilbridge did the design for this by himself. He's put it in a place where it will add to the noise, and the smell will probably drift into the studio area."

"We would have done it right in 1967 if we had been given the go ahead," Baldwin added.

Baldwin's bitterness will not disappear by Dedication Day, although the entire design team plans to attend. He says the firm's relationship with the GSD hasn't improved, but professional pride in the building will draw him to Cambridge on October 12. Besides he wouldn't want to miss the reunion.