Pei's Scaled-Down Plan Meets Some Objections

The unveiling of the scaled-down plans for the John F. Kennedy Memorial Library last Friday dissipated almost none of the deep-seated community opposition to the project, but could be the first step in a successful Kennedy Library Corp. effort to gather more support for the long-delayed project.

The new plans, significantly scaling down the project, have won unanimous acclaim from local civic leaders. Even Councilor Francis H. Duehay '55, a long-time library opponent, praised the redesign as "quite good."

But in reducing the scale of the library and museum to cut total floor space by one-third, the Kennedy Library Corp. has preserved the museum at the expense of the library. Architect I.M. Pei provided enough space for only 6 million of the 22 million documents which form the Kennedy collection, but found room for a vast, open reception area to be filled with an awe-inspiring bust and inscription set against a view of the Charles River.

Steven E. Smith, head of the Kennedy Library Corp., said Friday that the library would not be split from the museum because the "intent of Congress" was to establish one institution. But as Councilor Barbara Ackerman observed Monday night, the removal of two-thirds of the documents "splits the library from the museum but does not, as Cambridge residents had asked, split the museum from the library."

But the friends and relatives who run the Kennedy Corp. and finance the project are more interested in the library than the museum. A Harvard official close to the Kennedys said last week that the family's chief reason for not splitting up the complex is their desire to provide an appropriate memorial for the late president. Pei's design of a lobby resembling the Lincoln Memorial is a response to their desire to pay tribute to Kennedy.

Community opposition to the project, however, remains unchanged in the face of the new plans. According to recent polls, Cambridge leaders and residents are split into three camps over the library: 45 per cent--notably five city councilors and and labor and veterans groups--are solidly behind the Kennedy Library; 25 per cent are against the project, but can be won over through Kennedy Corp. concessions; 30 per cent stand unalterably opposed to the construction of the museum in Cambridge.

"The changes are a step in the right direction," Gerald Gillerman, lawyer for the moderate Harvard Square Development Tak Force, said Sunday, "but we still have serious objections to discuss."

'No Thought of Traffic'

Another moderate, Councilor Barbara Ackermann, approved of the design changes but said Monday that the Kennedy Corp. had "obviously given no thought at all to the traffic problems."

The planned movement of library-bound traffic along Boylston St. and Memorial Drive is unacceptable, she said.

When Pei unveiled library plans last May, he was criticized for not providing enough on-site praking for the influx of cars generated by the museum. Now community leaders are criticizing Pei for providing a 435-car on-site parking lot, charging it will generate traffic patterns which will choke off Harvard Square.

If Smith follows through on his promise to negotiate with community groups, then he may be able to dissipate some of the opposition to the project which centers around the parking issue.

Last Friday Smith announced arrangements to secure 800 off-site parking spaces, and he may be able to secure the additional "satellite parking" which would satisfy the moderate opposition.

The group of unmovable opponents, including Councilors Saundra Graham and David A. Wylie, and perhaps Neighborhood Ten, want the museum removed from Cambridge, a demand the Kennedy Corp. will never accede to willingly. Scaling down the complex and cutting the exhibit time to under an hour is as far as the corporation is willing to compromise on the overall design of the center.

At the press conference last Friday, Smith responded to tough questions by declining to comment, claiming that only an upcoming environmental impact statement could provide the definitive answers.

But the credibility of the firm conducting the study, C.E. Maguire Inc., is low, and its findings are unlikely to have much impact upon the hearts and minds of Cambridge residents. One member of the task force confided he expects Maguire to turn out little more than "wads of wet toilet paper."

Head-to-head bargaining between the Kennedy Corp. and moderate community leaders rather than haggling over a complex environmental report, therefore, looks like the best way for smith to secure added support for the Kennedy Library.