Harvard forgets its fences

Harvard gave a presentation at last night's Task Force meeting about its plans to build Tata Hall, a $100 million new executive education building for the Business School on what is now a grass field near the Charles River, Soldiers Field Road, and the Weeks Footbridge.

From Harvard's scale model of the campus, rendered images, and descriptions of a permeable design that flows from campus to city, one might actually think that the border between the Business School and the adjacent sidewalk is open and porous. That would be nice, but that is not the reality.

With the exception of a couple gates, there is nothing open or accessible about this area. Everywhere there is not a building there is some combination of hedge, wall, or fence.

Harvard representatives had no comment last night when asked if the lack of walls and fences in their presentation materials were an indication that the walls and fences were going to be removed in the spirit of creating a more permeable campus.

Harvard's PresentationHarvard's Reality





By the way, Harvard has the right to build whatever it wants between its campus and its neighbors in Boston and Cambridge. It would just be nice for them to be honest about it instead of misrepresenting it.

3 comments:

  1. Anonymous1:19 PM

    Personally, I don't see a problem with the fences and I don't think the presentation left them out to be intentionally misleading. A lot of Harvard's gates and walls are beautiful and historic. I'm an Allston resident who frequently walks along those gates and walls and would be disappointed to see any of them torn down.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous5:08 PM

    As a former Allston resident, I have no problem keeping HBS students behind walls, gates and iron bars.

    ReplyDelete
  3. John-W6:35 PM

    Actually it's once they graduate and start practicing what they learn there, that they should end up locked behind iron bars...

    ReplyDelete