Busch-Reisinger Closing

To the Editors of The Crimson:

Over the summer, I learned, to my dismay, that Harvard harbors plans to eliminate the venerable Busch-Reisinger Museum of Germanic Art; supposedly the flamboyant structure on the corner of Kirkland and Divinity Streets no longer meets "state-of-the-art" conservation standards. Anxious to verify this, I inquired of Museum officials and was informed that "it was not permitted" for them to discuss matters pertaining to the Museum's closure. Well, far be it from me to impede the inexorable march of progress; but I can't help wondering just who (aside from those administrators who are slated to take over the building) stands to gain from the transferal of the Busch-Reisinger's collection to some underground vault. Granted, the stuff will probably last forever down there; yet is that what the Museum's benefactors intended? Does one, in fact, create and amass works of art for the sole purpose of preserving them?

To my mind, the passing of the Busch-Reisinger would be a real loss; for neither the Fogg nor Sackler can boast of an equally broad display of one culture's objects d'art, a display which so illuminates that culture's history and aspirations. Consider, too, the Busch-Reisinger's "bucolic" locale, its small size and relaxed atmosphere--things which make it one of those rare student retreats so essential to the preservation of one's sanity come finals. I, for one, will sorely miss lunching in the Busch-Reisinger's sunny courtyard, attending organ recitals in Kuhn Hall, and dropping in to peruse the gallery on a rainy afternoon. If the administration needs more office space, why not lump a few more concrete slabs atop the Holyoke Center--surely no one would object on aesthetic grounds; but why not keep the Busch-Reisinger what it is: a unique and personable oasis in the heart of what can be a rather chilly institution. C.W. Putney