First-Years to Live at 29 Garden Street During Weld Hall Renovations Next Year

Because of planned renovations to Weld Hall next year, first-years assigned to live there next fall will be housed at 29 Garden St. instead, according to Action Dean of Freshmen Virginia L. Mace-Smith '78.

The reassigned first-year will commute in special shuttle buses to the Union to eat breakfast and dinner, and the regular shuttle route will include a Garden St. stop, Mackay Smith said.

In addition, next year's residents of Matthews Hall will move to the newly renovated Weld Hall in the spring, when improvements to Matthews begin.

Dean of the faculty Jeremy R. Knowles and Vice President for Administration N. Sally H. Zeckhauser presented tentative plans for the Yard renovations to the Harvard Corporation earlier this week.

All first-years have lived in the Yard since 1976 when they were placed there under a plan designed by then Dean of the College John B. Fox Jr.' 59.

Elevators for handicapped accessibility and an electronic security system will be installed in Weld and Matthews.

Less extensive renovations to other Yard dormitories--including Straus Massachusetts, Lionel and Mower--include repairs, reinforcement of the buildings and increased accessibility for disabled persons.

Most Yard dormitories have not been renovted since the late 1950s. according to Associate Dean of Freshmen W.C. Burriss Young '55.

Plans to refurbish the Yard's plumbing system by replacing pipes in front of Hollis Stoughton, and Massachusetts Halls have been postponed until the summer. Previous plans scheduled completion of the project prior to commencement.

Mackay-Smith said the administration is eager to move ahead with renovation plans to take advantage of low construction costs during the recession.

She also said the college was taking steps to ensure that construction in the Yard extending into next fall would not hinder the regular lives of students.

"[The contractors] have been very cooperative with us to assure us that noise will be at a minimum during times of academic stress," Mackay-Smith said.

Contractors have agreed to alter their early morning schedules to conform with college student schedules, she added.

While most administrators agree that adjustments will be necessary for the 150 first-year students moved to Garden St. next year, proctors interviewed yesterday made light of the degree of inconvenience.

"Students [in Weld] don't have much reaction to it now," said Jeff A. Wing, a proctor in Weld." I think students next year will definitely have a reaction."

Linda Boland, another Weld proctor said," There will be different concerns of people living up there, but there won't be any difficult concerns."

She insisted the experience living away from the Yard could be a "positive" one.

"I think it could be a lot of fun," she said.