Carey Cage: Rashly Razed

Although this past November will be long remembered in Harvard athletic history for the Crimson's amazing come-from-behind victory over Yale, it was marked by a darker event as well. The 98-year-old Carey Cage, an historic structure long associated with Harvard athletics, was razed. We condemn this action as an affront to Harvard's aesthetic and athletic standards.

Carey was not simply another functional building cluttering a campus studded with contemporary architectural embarrassments. It stood as a unique landmark by Harvard Stadium, an enigmatically Tudor edifice symbolizing Harvard tradition and pride.

But no longer. In a decision roundly criticized by architects and historians, athletics department officials authorized the destruction of the Cage. The University's director of comprehensive planning, Harris S. Band, sheepishly justified the destruction by noting that the University "did not come to [the decision] quickly or lightly."

Yet the University managed to complete its deliberations in almost complete isolation from experts in the historical preservation community. And it carried out the razing during the Thanksgiving vacation--the better to diffuse protesters' efforts to decry this wreckless decision.

Perhaps officials unschooled in architecture couldn't distinguish Carey's frame from a ski lodge (which, admittedly, it did rather resemble). Nevertheless, the storm of protest from experts in the field of design should have been more fully considered. As architectural historian Douglass Shand-Tucci '72 complained, "Even the crudest person would realize that it's not very good for Harvard to be dumping on its history this way."

Built in 1897 by Langford Warren (the first dean of Harvard's Graduate School of Design), Carey Cage's eclectic design bridged the styles of architects ranging from H. H. Richardson to Frank Lloyd Wright. As the first steel-frame building on the campus, it stood as a link between the University's 19th-century development and its 20th-century rise to prominence.

Even apart from its aesthetic value, the Cage served important functions for athletes that cannot be matched by existing facilities. Space available for Olympic bench presses, power squatting and power lifting has been cut by more than 60 percent. We agree with point guard Jessica C. Gelman '97 that "this is pretty pathetic for a Division I program."

Athletics officials cited the need for expanded racquet facilities and a new entryway to justify their arbitrary destruction of the Cage. But there is plenty of space for facilities behind the Harvard Stadium. And if such an historic structure could be knocked down only three years after being renovated, we cringe to think of what modern monstrosities are next. Astroturf lining the soccer fields? Luxury boxes grafted onto Harvard Stadium?

These and other eyesores must be averted. Clearly the beadles who destroyed Carey Cage have little or no respect for architectural history.

Harvard's meticulous restoration of the Yard dorms demonstrates that University officials are capable of showing respect for historical sites on the campus. Renovation of these dorms reflected a commitment to preserving form while respecting functions called for by contemporary needs.

We call on those now renovating the Union to respect the work of legendary architects McKim, Mead and White and to keep historical considerations in mind during its renovations. Though it's too late to right the wrong done to Carey Cage, we can still preserve the historic sites that remain.