Blighted Tree Saves Dumbarton Garden

It wasn't so much the persistent protest, though that may have played a role. A rotten tree--and its removal--have persuaded Harvard University to rework its plans to build a new library on its Dumbarton Oaks campus in Washington D.C.

After preparing for months to build the library underground--directly beneath the site's historic gardens landscaped by Beatrix Farrand--officials have presented a new design placing the library above ground, far away from Farrand's masterwork.

The site change has quelled the entrenched opposition of neighbors and architects afraid of the damage underground construction could have caused the gardens.

"It's a huge improvement. This has put an end to our protest," said Donald Partlan, a leader of a group calling itself Concerned Citizens for Dumbarton Oaks.

The facility, located in Georgetown,

holds a number of research centers for the study of ancient art and landscaping. In 1944, the grounds hosted the World War II conference that resulted in the formation of the United Nations. Now, it is best known for its scenic gardens, considered the seminal work of famous landscape architect Beatrix Farrand.

Last year, when Harvard unveiled plans to build beneath the garden, architects, neighbors and academics rallied to protect the garden from what they saw as a possible threat. Though Harvard officials agreed to look at other sites, they sought formal approval for the below-garden library.

Then, in March, a peaked tree in an area of the grounds known as the Dell became dangerously rotten. Gardeners were forced to chop it down.

Without the tree, the Dell seemed to many the perfect spot to construct a library.

"The new site sort of revealed itself. It's an area that no one had really thought much of," said Edward L. Keenan '84-'85, the director of Dumbarton Oaks.

The previous design had already received approval from the first of four city boards when the designers discovered the spot in The Dell.

"Once we stood on the site, there was no question that this was a much better place," Keenan said.

Dumbarton officials must now begin anew the arduous process of seeking the city's consent. First, they'll make a presentation to the Advisory Neighborhood Commission.

"I'm pretty optimistic," Keenan said, noting that former project opponents are now supporters. He said he was recently hailed in the street by one of the erstwhile protestors who wanted to shake his hand.

The library will be still be connected by tunnel to the estate's main buildings. And since the building will be mostly above the ground, there will no longer be any difficulty in providing sufficient light to the rooms.