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JFK Library: Fourth Side of the Square

But even with this sort of "support," Pei's problem in building a national memorial in the heart of Cambridge seems agonizingly difficult. Along the north side of the MBTA yards (the back of Brattle Square), he has to cope with motels, gas stations, and small stores, with their billboards and neon signs. "We must blend and defend," he says. "This is a great challenge to us."

The Library's riverfront neighbors--Harvard's Georgian Houses, the Monastery of St. Mary and St. John, and a line of six-story brick apartments--are friendlier. But just outside the yards' northwest corner, Baird Atomic Inc. has a block of three brick manufacturing buildings: another visual headache for Pei.

Not all his problems, however, are Herculean; some are simply annoying. Take land, for instance. "The Charles River basin is notorious for its bad foundations," he explains. There are already thousands of piles sunk in on the Bennett Street site by the MBTA. But Pei doesn't know if these are usuable. He will have extensive test borings made on the site before determining their suitability. And if they're no good? Well, he'll just have to have them all removed and put in new ones. That will take time.

In fact, there's going to be plenty of time before the Library complex becomes a reality. At the earliest, it may be completed by 1970, but Pei says he can't guarantee that. No one will be too surprised if takes a year or two more to finish.

Matching Money and Ideas

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Currently, he is working on the final programming for the Library, Museum, and Institute deciding what will actually go into the buildings. This last stage of programming, which includes a step where Pei will match money against ideas and make sure the two meet, ought to take about three months. Simultaneously, the architect and his staff will begin more detailed studies of the foundations and of specific traffic requirements (how wide the streets should be, how many cars and buses are to be accomodated etc.). This latter step, Pei says, will require consultation with both the University and the city. Pei will also press the MBTA for a definite pull-out date. So far, he has only been able to get an estimate of from 18 to 24 months.

"All this takes time," he notes. How much? He politely declines a guess. It depends on other people and institutions and he refuses to predict how fast they will move. But whenever it is finished, he will go to his drawing boards and create a master plan for the 12 acres. During a six-month period (a time he is willing to estimate because it depends on him and his associates alone), he will determine the number of buildings, their locations, and uses as well as designing open spaces and determining what "support" facilities will go where.

From this master-plan, Pei will then begin the detailed work on all the buildings. When he gets finished and when the contractors have finally carried out his orders, the change in Harvard Square will just be beginning

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