Reiff refers to the plans to alter the original plaster relief that now constitutes the ceiling. The renovations will create a skylight in the new ceiling, while raising one section and lowering another. Some of the original wood paneling will also be discarded.
But Parsons says every effort is being made to appease these concerns. The ceiling will be lifted six inches to avoid damaging the molding and much of the original paneling will be preserved.
Critics also charge that the stairway being created in the central space further interrupts the once huge expanse.
Still, the architects point out they will try to preserve as many architectual details as possible. These include the memorial plaques and the moose head and antlers of deer killed by President Theodore Roosevelt, class of 1880.
Seeing a Pattern
Although Parsons has been acknowledged for his work preserving the Yard during recent renovations, several architectural critics have charged that recent decisions by Harvard planners fail to take historical concern into account.
On November 24, Carey Cage, an athletic structure designed by Langford Warren, an apprentice of renowned architect H.H. Richardson, was razed to make room for a new athletic facility.
Architectural historians criticized the decision, saying Harvard had failed to preserve an important structure.
Douglass Shand Tucci '72, author of Built in Boston, a book of architectural history, said the decision to raze the cage was ill-conceived.
Citing controversial additions of loading-bays to Memorial Hall and the decision to divide the Union's great hall, Shand-Tucci said:
"History is important to Harvard. Even the crudest person would realize that it's not good for Harvard to be dumping on its history in this way."
Still, Harvard officials say they hope to preserve the historical integrity of buildings while at the same time making them useful in a modern academic setting.
"We have a wonderfully rich heritage, how do we use it to best serve the present?," Parson asks. "It is important not to be slaves to the preservation movement."