"Harvard is capable of digesting almost anything," commented John H. Finley, Jr. '25, Eliot Professor of Greek Literature, last night in discussing the now, modernistic General Education building soon to be built.

Alumni reaction to the Allston Burr Lecture Hall, however, seems to indicate that many feel the architects have gone too far and that the building "will remain as a blot on Harvard for all time." such terms as "inhuman pile," "false," "unsightly," and "incongruous" have been used by indignant graduates in describing the building.

Support Burr Hall

In reply, almost all the professors, who are likely to use the building, yesterday gave Burr Hall their complete support.

Answering charges that "this inhuman pile ill stand there to mar the environment for some hundreds of years," the faculty expressed confidence that the new building will fit in with the Georgian architecture.

Phillippe E. Le Corbeiller, professor of General Education, said, "This question of fitting to style is a joke. Lamont has blended perfectly. In fact, one of the best things about Harvard is its variety Each age has its own style. This is ours, and we should use it."

A group of alumni, in a recent letter to the Alumni Bulletin, expressed the opinion that "a building, not too large, in mellow Georgian brick would be a (more) fitting memorial."

C. Crane Brinton '19, McLean Professor of ancient and Modern History, fails to agree with this suggestion. "There's nothing sacred about Georgian Style. I approve thoroughly of the new modernistic building and like the idea of using the architecture of our own age."

What About Fire Station?

According to Leonard K. Nash '39, assistant professor of Chemistry, "The new building is going to be tough on the fire department." Several years ago, the City of Cambridge went to a great deal of trouble to erect a new fire station in Georgian style north of the Yard so that "it would blend in with the other buildings." Modernistic Burr Hall will be just across the street.

The alumni, criticizing everybody in sight, have even attacked Walter Gropius, the designer of the Graduate Center, who had nothing to do with the new building.

"How grateful we can be that Gropius was not around when they were building the Houses along the river a generation ago," wrote one alumnus.

"Degradation of Architecture"

A graduate of the Class of '81 exclaims how sad it is "that a firm which once included that great artist, George Shepley, is now associated with and responsible for this degradation of architecture."

The alumnus is referring to the actual designers of the new building--the firm of Coolidge, Shepley, Bulfinch, and Abbott. This firm has planned much of modern Harvard including Sever Hall, all the Houses, Littauer, the Indoor Athletic Building, Fogg Museum, and the Biological Labs.