For more than three centuries Harvard has been celebrated as a curator of historical architecture. But recently, the University's reputation for historical preservation has been attacked by a number of alumni and architects infuriated by the renovations planned for the Harvard Union.

The $20 million renovation and conversion of the Union into a new humanities center was a goal of the $2.1 billion University Campaign launched in May, 1994.

Currently, the humanities departments are scattered in different buildings throughout the entire campus.

Officials say construction on the 1901 building, planned to begin sometime this winter, complements the January 4 opening of the new first-year dining facilities in the newly renovated Annenberg Hall at Memorial Hall.

Subdividing the Great Hall--now the main dining hall--into three main spaces and reconfiguring the ceiling of the hall are among the changes proposed at the Union.

Compromising a Legacy

Despite officials' claims that restructuring is necessary, critics say these changes fly in the face of Harvard's architectural history.

"The cultural values of the past which form a vital part of a liberal education are not only on the printed page," says Daniel D. Reiff '63, a professor of art history at the State University of New York at Fredonia.

"The very spaces we live in, learn in and draw delight and inspiration from are part of that legacy. Has Har- vard--in its humanities center no less--decided that it is no longer worth the effort to pass on to future generations this part of our culture?"

Reiff and other critics say they are alarmed by the proposed changes to the Union because it is an important example of architecture by the firm of McKim, Mead & White, a firm noted for its grand interiors.

Charles McKim designed a number of projects under the direction of former president Charles W. Eliot, including Johnston Gate and Robinson Hall. In Boston, the firm is best known for landmarks such as the Boston Public Library and Symphony Hall.

Phillip Arsity, an architectural designer and critic, points to the significance of the building as one of the greatest examples of McKim, Mead, & White's interiors.

The subdivision of the Union's Great Hall is at the very heart of much of the controversy surrounding the plans to renovate the building.

Phillip J. Parsons, director of planning for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) argues that the proposed changes will preserve the architectural integrity of the building while revitalizing the space for academic use and making it function as an integral part of the campus.

"[McKim, Mead & White] is a prolific firm which in fact did a lot of institutional work at the time the building was constructed," Parsons says.

Parsons says Goody, Clancy & Associates, the architects charged with the Memorial Hall and Union renovations, looked carefully at McKim's building, attempting various design proposals.