But where does Stirling fit into it all?
"My crystal ball is as cloudy as the rest of us, but I think Stirling is going to be considered one of the great architects of the 20th-century," said Slive.
Perhaps Stirling will be remembered as a great architect, but if all the criticism tells its toll, the Sackler likely will not be viewed as one of his masterpieces.
"You don't tell Mr. Stirling how to design a building any more than you tell Picasso how to paint a painting," said President Derek C. Bok. But even Picasso had some bad days.
The first historical problem with the Sackler--a problem forced on Stirling--is its location, according to Floyd.
"The fundamentally sad thing is that the site would have better been where the Carpenter Center is. That is the initial tragedy," Floyd said.
"The second tragedy is that the Allston Burr Lecture Hall [which was torn down to make room for the Sackler] was an enormously important building. They demolished a fine piece of architecture," she said.
"In terms of campus planning it was a great tragedy," said Floyd. For at Harvard more than anywhere, campus planning means finding a great architect, giving him a proper site, giving him enough money, and hoping he comes up with something brilliant that also fits in.
The scene in which Stirling was to work was painted for him. And he was limited by not enough space and not enough money, said Philip Johnson, a noted American architect. So he dealt brilliantly with the interior of the building and poorly with the exterior, said Floyd.
"The spacial developments are brilliant. It's very beautiful on the interior," said Floyd.
Indeed by every account--positive or negative on other aspects--the Sackler's interior is a jewel.
The building serves as a museum and an office building. However, Stirling was asked to keep the two functions separate, so that the galleries could be climate controlled and the offices self controlled for economic reasons.
And in dealing with those two functions he created a Disneyland of rooms and galleries--constant surprises, wonderful colors, lovely offices--a magical mystery tour of an Indian, Chinese, Japanese and modern art collection.
And on the exterior?
"The exterior is a disaster, an absolute disaster. It's a very egocentric building," said Floyd. "The slick hard finished brick is purposefully a color that doesn't go well with Memorial Hall or the Fogg. Its machine made quality is the antithesis of the touchy, textural quality of Harvard buildings," said Floyd.
Floyd said the original pink and moss green brick colors Stirling wanted would have been a vast improvement.
Walsh said the University couldn't find pink and green bricks that would withstand the harsh Cambridge winters.
Stirling has drawn similar criticism for designing an excitingly vibrant entrance and a tremendously dull side and back.
"This slick finish, the bright green