Prince House Relocation Stalls as Plans Change

Relocation of the Morton Prince House from Divinity Ave. to a site adjacent to Hurlburt Hall on Prescott street has been postponed from early October to sometime in late March, Paul F. Leahy, associate dean for planning and resources, said yesterday.

Leahy also said that plans to convert the building into a permanent residence for the freshmen dean have been cancelled.

Original plans called for the relocation of Prince House structure in order to make way for the construction of the new $12 million Biochemical Laboratory building and to preserve office space for the General Education Office which is currently located in Prince House, Leahy said.

Under the original plan, the General Education office was to move out of Prince House two years after the scheduled relocation, after which the building would be converted to a permanent residence for the freshman dean.

Leahy's office postponed plans for relocating Prince House after freshman dean Henry Moses, who had already moved into his home at 19 Francis Ave., turned down the offer of a Prince House residence, and new space for the General Education Office became available when the Center for Off-Campus Housing moved from 7 Ware St. to Holyoke Center.

The decision to move Prince House in March or April was made after a cost study revealed that it was cheaper to relocate the building than to construct a comparable space, Leahy said.

The Faculty of Arts and Sciences' Space Committee is currently trying to find a suitable use for the building, Leahy added. Proposals under consideration include relocation of the freshman dean's office and freshman seminar rooms to Prince House.