"The University is not going to make a decision based on what's been in the newspaper," Grogan says. "It's just far too important a site and much more an internal process."
But one sign that Cuno's project may have an inside track in Mass. Hall is the membership of the committee convened to consider it. Working outside of the University's usual space committee, the Mahoney's committee is stacked with people with professional interests in art.
Finally, architect Renzo Piano's talent and charm may be easing the project's path. By getting Piano to turn from planning for the Fogg and Sackler renovations to this new Mahoney project, Cuno bought a very convincing advocate for the project.
"I've been won over by Renzo Piano," says the Faculty source. "Renzo Piano is a secret weapon. Whenever he presents something I am ready to build it. In person al and design intelligence, he's one of the world's premier architects."
Why Not Allston?
Of course, for all the wrangling over space in Cambridge, Harvard's newest purchases--more than 50 acres in the working-class Allston neighborhood--would seem to be likely candidates for cultural development, providing a convenient introductory peace offering to a community originally upset with the secretive nature of Harvard's purchases.
But Allston has apparently been nixed by all sides.
Cuno says the University art museums primary purpose as serving the student population--a mission he says requires the museums to be in close proximity to students, and renders, in his view, Allston, an impracticable option.
"[A museum site must be] contiguous or proximate to where many Harvard students live and where the study and take classes," Cuno says.
Kevin A. McCluskey, Harvard's director of community relations for Boston and the point person on Allston says that the museum development is too small and comes too soon for the University's plans on Allston.
"Any development of any of the new Allston properties will be done within the context of a larger, well thought out plan and I think that would argue against us taking one particular aspect of the University and sighting it there," McCluskey said. "That land is not going to be developed by Harvard in any sort of piecemeal fashion."
What Next?
Problems still remain with the site. For instance, administrators acknowledge that even without trekking to Allston, many students may find the Mahoney's site far from their beaten path.
"This site is pretty far away. I wouldn't rush to connect student needs to this particular site," Lewis says.
And Cuno agrees that a special effort will have to be made to bring students into the building.
Approving Cuno's plans would, however, change the face of a more central part of the campus. If the Sackler's collections are moved to the River, then the Sackler building could be used for additional office or academic space in an area near the Yard.
On the site itself, the only major wrangling left seems as if it will be over the non-museum portion of the site. People involved with University finances are said to be more in favor of a hotel on the site, and others favor graduate student housing or a conference center.
The plans will be finalized by the fall, but University officials would not estimate how long it would be before the museums would be built and operational.