Hillel Construction Begins

The trees in the Fly Club garden between Lowell and Quincy Houses came tumbling down yesterday--much to the delight of students at Harvard-Radcliffe Hillel.

Construction finally began Yesterday morning on Rosovsky Hall, the Hillel's new building on Mt. Auburn Street, after months of delay caused by a community lawsuit over zoning.

Students at Hillel last night said they are excited that the process has finally begun, as Hillel has outgrown the space in its current building on Mt. Auburn.

"I'm excited because in the old building we are cramped for space, and now we will have the opportunity to have new things," said Joshua Z. Heller '94, vice-chair of Hillel's coordinating council.

Spirits were high at dinner last night, as students said they are anticipating the groundbreaking ceremony on March 17. Harvard President Neil L. Rudenstine and other University officials are scheduled to attend.

The clearing of the new site went smoothly yesterday, said Gary A. Lovesky '79, the project manager from Beacon Construction.

Lovseky said he had met with Lowell House Master William H. Bossert about specific terms of the construction because the project may make a lot of noise and reroute traffic.

Bossert insisted that construction stop during reading and exam periods, according to Quincy House Master Michael Shinagel, who said he supported Bossert's demands.

Other terms of construction, outlined in a letter posted by Harvard Real Estate in the lobby of Quincy, are that construction not occur before 8:00 a.m. or on Saturdays. Construction is supposed to end in February 1994, according to the letter.

The construction was originally targeted to begin in last November, but it was postponed when a lawsuit was filed against Harvard by the Harvard Square Defense Fund, a community action group, and two neighbors.

The suit charged that Cambridge regulations requires more space for parking than had been allocated for the new site, according to Fund President Gladys P. Gifford.

But in a private settlement reached earlier this month, the group agreed not to challenge the variance.

The agreement required Hillel and Harvard Real Estate (HRE) to apply for a special permit to allow them to reduce the amount of allowable space for parking, said Scott Levitan, HRE's associate vice president for construction and planning.

Levitan said the construction will continue even if the permit is not granted in a hearing tentatively scheduled for April 6, because the compromise only required HRE to attempt to apply for a permit.

Other terms of the agreement will decrease the planned height of the building by two feet, and require Harvard to pay $5,000 for every unbuilt parking space, Gifford said.

Gifford said the settlement "doesn't solve the problem" and the Fund will continue challenging similar expansion attempts by the University in the future. She said she hopes "Harvard will not pretend [in the future] to have parking spaces when they don't."

Richard S. Rosenbloom '54, chair of Hillel's board of directors, said that Hillel's current building will become a part of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Rosenbloom, also the Sarnoff professor of Business Administration, said the University has considered using the basement of the new building as housing for WHRB.

Andrea Brown, director of Hillel's capital campaign, which is in charge of raising money for the new building and the ceremony on the 17th, said that some people had misconceptions about how Hillel's funds were being spent.

Brown said that only $6 million was being spent on the buildings so that the additional $3 million Hillel hopes to raise will be allotted for maintenance and endowing a permanent staff so the building "will not be an empty shell.

The suit charged that Cambridge regulations requires more space for parking than had been allocated for the new site, according to Fund President Gladys P. Gifford.

But in a private settlement reached earlier this month, the group agreed not to challenge the variance.

The agreement required Hillel and Harvard Real Estate (HRE) to apply for a special permit to allow them to reduce the amount of allowable space for parking, said Scott Levitan, HRE's associate vice president for construction and planning.

Levitan said the construction will continue even if the permit is not granted in a hearing tentatively scheduled for April 6, because the compromise only required HRE to attempt to apply for a permit.

Other terms of the agreement will decrease the planned height of the building by two feet, and require Harvard to pay $5,000 for every unbuilt parking space, Gifford said.

Gifford said the settlement "doesn't solve the problem" and the Fund will continue challenging similar expansion attempts by the University in the future. She said she hopes "Harvard will not pretend [in the future] to have parking spaces when they don't."

Richard S. Rosenbloom '54, chair of Hillel's board of directors, said that Hillel's current building will become a part of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Rosenbloom, also the Sarnoff professor of Business Administration, said the University has considered using the basement of the new building as housing for WHRB.

Andrea Brown, director of Hillel's capital campaign, which is in charge of raising money for the new building and the ceremony on the 17th, said that some people had misconceptions about how Hillel's funds were being spent.

Brown said that only $6 million was being spent on the buildings so that the additional $3 million Hillel hopes to raise will be allotted for maintenance and endowing a permanent staff so the building "will not be an empty shell.