The threats to the garden subject to such an undertaking are enormous and unpredictable. It is interesting to note that while it is unlikely a proposal to tear down a wing of the house would ever be considered, gardens are seen as more dispensable.
Finally, I believe that Mildred W. Bliss had the belief when she handed over, and richly endowed, Dumbarton Oaks to Harvard that it would be a trustworthy steward of her beloved garden. Who is to say how she would weigh potential damage and changes to her garden against the needs and interests of scholarly research? I, for one, think she would consider it a betrayal of her trust in Harvard.
It is ironic that an institution that was established in part for the study of garden scholarship and as the repository of Bliss' unique collection of rare horticultural and historic garden books should be involved in the possible destruction of one of the country's finest gardens.
President Neil L. Rudenstine must consider carefully the alternative options for this expansion before embarking on a course that endangers a valued legacy to the nation.
Florence Everts
Washington, D.C., Jan. 13, 2000
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