Despite contract disputes that delayed renovations at the Harvard-owned Dumbarton Oaks research facility in Washington, D.C., the non-profit center celebrated the opening of its new gallery Thursday night, five months after it was expected to be completed.

The renovations, which began in August 1987 and cost $3 million, were intended to create space for library stacks and for the Byzantine art collection, according to Susan Boyd, the curator of Dumbarton Oaks' museum collections.

Boyd added that the center's security system was improved and noted that the additional space will help separate the Dumbarton Oaks' research areas from public areas.

The dispute and subsequent delays arose after the center added $1 million in renovations to the contract--mostly for the security system--midway through the project, accordingto Joseph Arena, the project manager for theconstruction and an employee of E.A. Baker GeneralContractors.

But Didier O. Thomas, associate director forproject planning at the Harvard Planning Office,blamed the contractor for the delays.

"I would say that although the workmanship isof high quality, the planning and scheduling bythe contractor was not the best," Thomas said,adding that he visited Washington each week for ayear and a half to supervise the work.

The project's architect, Rob Shutler, said hisfirm, Hartman-Cox Architects, was satisfied withthe project's outcome, despite the museum'simpatience with the construction delays.

The new gallery contains a skylight and isdesigned in a neo-classical style, with a centralarea surrounded by columns, Shutler said.

"The beauty of the room is more in how it helpsthe rest of the museum function," he said."Before, all the galleries were apart and this oneroom allows people to circulate among them withoutbacktracking.