A $25 million commercial complex on JFK St. officially opened last Friday after more than four years of planning and work--and more than a little protest from Cambridge preservationists.

But in the end, modifications aimed at preserving the aesthetics of Winthrop Square led the activists to concede reluctantly.

G. Pebble Gifford, president of the Harvard Square Defense Fund, has been one of the sharpest critics of the building, but at the end of the months-long process, she said she was satisfied with the outcome.

She told The Boston Globe that she was ultimately grateful to developer Peter Palandjian for improving the quality of the Square.

"The reason is, he restored those two buildings beautifully at great expense, and they do look nice on the park," she said.

Palandjian bought the Armenian Church that formerly inhabited the site and relocated it to Belmont. He then submitted proposed designs for the block to the city. After months of negotiations with preservationists, who tend to scrutinize any new construction in the Square, Palandjian struck a deal.

In order to preserve the green oasis of Winthrop Square, he agreed to build the complex next to Grendel's Den less obtrusively, insetting the building's foundation away from the small park.

Such accommodations are often spurred by city regulations, which tightly govern any new construction in designated historical areas.