City Inspector Checks Dorms In Overcrowding Investigation

A city building official has inspected two Harvard dormitories and the University is gathering room measurements as part of an investigation to see if eight dormitories are overcrowded beyond the limits allowed by state law.

The investigation, jointly conducted by Cambridge and University officials, was ordered Oct. 23 by a unamimous vote of the Cambridge City Council.

Joseph Celluci, city building inspector whose jurisdiction includes the University, said Tuesday he has conducted spotchecks of two dormitories. Celluci said he inspected Pennypacker Hall on Nov. 15, and a few days later inspected another dorm whose name he could not recall.

No Violations Found

No violations were found in the spotchecks, but Celluci said floor plans and room measurements are needed to determine whether the dorms are indeed overcrowded. "I'm not going to commit myself until I see the facts and figures," he said.

George Oommen, planning officer in the University planning department, is now gathering this data for the city building department. Oommen refused to comment yesterday, saying only that he had "no idea" when all the information would be collected and forwarded to City Hall.

Eight dormitories now exceed their capacity limits. They are Adams House (minus students in Claverly) with 312 students to 300 allowed; Canaday, with 226 students to 214 allowed; Holworthy, 88 students to 83 allowed; Kirkland House, 332 students to 325 allowed; Pennypacker, 106 students to 89 allowed; Quincy House (minus students in Claverly), 414 students to 396 allowed; Weld Hall, 152 students to 139 allowed; and Wigglesworth Hall, 193 students to 188 allowed.

Percentages of overcrowding ranged from 3 per cent in Wigglesworth to 19 per cent in Pennypacker. Celluci said that these capacity limits might be raised to allow these dormitories to continue to hold the number of students they now accommodate.

The capacity limits were designed for fire safety reasons, but College officials have said they do not believe any danger is presented by the current levels of students in the dormitories.