FAS Unveils New Alternative To Knafel Plans

Last night, University officials presented to Cambridge community leaders a modified idea for the proposed Knafel Center for Government and International Studies. The new option uses the current site of the University Information Services (UIS) building and Coolidge Hall, with a connection under Cambridge Street pending city approval.

The proposal, which was presented by Nancy L. Maull, administrative dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS), comes as a possible alternative to plans for building the Center on the site of Gund Hall, the Graduate School of Design's building next to Coolidge Hall. Plans to build the Knafel Center on that site drew community ire when announced last spring due to the project's substantial size and close proximity to a residential area.

"The University is interested in exploring the possibility of exploring the UIS site and possibly renovating or new construction at the Coolidge Hall site," said Mary H. Power, Harvard's director of community relations. "We are looking at configuring the complex utilizing the [Coolidge and UIS] sites."

According to Power, the goal of the Knafel complex--to unify the Government, Economics and other social science departments as well as housing the newly announced Center for Basic Research in Social Science--remains unchanged.

"The program has not changed, it still is striving to be a unified center for government and international studies," she said. "[The University is now] exploring configuration on these two sites rather than just the Gund site."

Power cautioned that the ideas floated at last night's meeting are preliminary, representing the University's attempt to keep the neighborhood informed of its actions.

"We've have opened our thinking process to the community from the outset. We've been working with the community from the outset to discuss and explore a range of options. [There was] never a single plan," said Power, who is also co-chair of the Joint Committee for Neighborhood and Harvard Consultation.

Community members seemed encouraged by the new options put forth by Harvard officials last night.

"The University is doing some very big thinking about what's going to happen for that part of campus," said John Pitkin, who co-chairs the Joint Committee with Power.

Pitkin said he was impressed the University was "responding in what would appear to be a serious manner to the problems [pointed out by the community] and the findings of their architect," Henry N. Cobb '47 of the New York-based architecture firm Pei, Cobb, Freed and Partners.

Pitkin also emphasized the early stage of the discussion saying, "They weren't saying that the idea of demolishing two buildings and replacing two buildings would be what they would propose to do, but that they wanted to examine the proposal."

"Nothing's going to be happening in terms of construction in the next year, and even two years would be considered fast from the University's point of view," said Pitkin, who is also president of the Mid-Cambridge Community Association.

Nevertheless, Pitkin said he viewed the new option presented as a favorable one for many Cambridge residents.

"A lot of people who were concerned

about the Gund site do feel this would be a better solution, [but] the details still have to be worked out," he said. "Obviously [this is] a whole new discussion."

Harvard officials also brought up the notion of discussing "improvements" to the Fogg and Sackler museums in conjunction with discussion of the Knafel project that will soon come to include a public meeting with the architect. The date of those meetings was unclear last night.

Plans for the Knafel Center were announced last year following a $15 million dollar gift to the University by Sidney R. Knafel '52, a New York venture capitalist

about the Gund site do feel this would be a better solution, [but] the details still have to be worked out," he said. "Obviously [this is] a whole new discussion."

Harvard officials also brought up the notion of discussing "improvements" to the Fogg and Sackler museums in conjunction with discussion of the Knafel project that will soon come to include a public meeting with the architect. The date of those meetings was unclear last night.

Plans for the Knafel Center were announced last year following a $15 million dollar gift to the University by Sidney R. Knafel '52, a New York venture capitalist