Building Continues On Dorm for Affiliates

As Harvard continues to scramble around campus in search of housing for overcrowded undergraduates, the University is currently building its first dormitory in 10 years--but it's not for the College.

Construction on a 43-apartment building at 8-10 Mt. Auburn St. began last spring, and University officials are predicting that Harvard affiliates and graduate students may be living there by 1987.

But because of initial community opposition to Harvard's building plans, the project--located between Quincy House and Banks St.--will be completed almost three years after the University purchased the property for nearly $1 million in 1984.

Open House

The building complex will provide 43 units of housing in three structures: a newly-renovated turreted building cited as a historic landmark; a new five-story structure; and a carriage house in the back. Harvard will also build a 44-space parking lot on the site, said George Oommen, an official in Harvard's real estate planning department.

"The purpose of this new structure is to increase the supply of housing to faculty members, graduate students, and all employees or Harvard affiliated persons," Oommen said.

In addition to housing, Harvard is constructing four retail spaces for commercial tenants on the first floor. At present a pharmacy and convienence store chain have expressed interest in renting retail space there, said Nancy E. Kossan, vice president in Harvard Real Estate, Inc.

In Harvard Square, commercial real estate prices generally fall into the range of $25 to $60 a square foot. University officials say it's too early to tell how much Harvard will charge in rents for retail space there.

"This project is financially viable because we intend to have retail stores on the ground and lower levels of the buildings, and the revenues of this will be able to subsidize the housing rental fees," he said.

The building, which is slated for completion by next August, was designed by Add Inc., a Cambridge architectual firm, in consultation with a Harvard advisory committee. Oommen described the project's style as "eclectic."

Manuel Uribe, a small property-owner who sold the building to Harvard two years ago, said the buildings will improve the Banks St. area. "This development will bring stability to the neighborhood, and it will determine what the area will look like for the next 100 years," he said.

"Before, there were two small, rather insignificant buildings. But Harvard is going to preserve the old building, and create housing for Harvard faculty," he said. "This will help the community because it will reduce the number of people competing for limited Cambridge housing," he added.

Troubled Past

The project was held up nearly two years because residents of the surrounding neighborhood protested Harvard's acquisition of 8-10 Mt. Auburn St. At first, the University proposed tearing down a 93-year old Victorian building, but modified the scale of its plans in the face of community opposition.

The City of Cambridge also ordered Harvard to retain two units of rent-controlled housing in the project. Under the city's complicated system of housing regulations, the University must rent those two apartments at sub-market rates when the building opens.

Lingering Resentment

Though few residents today complain about Harvard's latest incursion into their neighborhood, resentment still lingers.

"Some people are happy about the building because they think that having Harvard faculty will increase the property value," said nearby resident Arshad Kahn. "But many are against it. Harvard is a bull-elephant and they just come into the area and take up everything.