City objects to dorm's construction

Though Tufts will hold a ceremonial groundbreaking for its new dormitory on May 16, the city of Somerville has raised serious opposition to the construction plans based on the historical value of some of the properties that would be destroyed.

The new 55,000-square-foot residence hall, which is designed to hold 150 students and will be located between Professors Row and Talbot Avenue, is just the beginning of a chain of new construction that will involve at least six buildings on campus.

The properties at 13 and 15 Talbot Ave. will be destroyed to make room for the dorm, as well as the house at 20 Professors Row that dates to 1852 and housed Tufts' first president, Hosea Ballou II, and is currently the home of the Music Department.

The Somerville Historic Preservation Commission (SHPC) has objected to Tufts' plans to raze the Music Department, as well the properties at 72, 80, and 128 Professors Row - the Dearborn House, Zeta Psi, and the former building of the Institute for Global Leadership. These buildings are scheduled to be razed when Tufts builds the new music building, for which fundraising is almost complete.

"To the Commission, the history of Tufts is intertwined with history of Somerville," said Bill Doncaster, a spokesman for the city. "Even losing one of them in [Professors Row] would be a significant loss."

The SHPC has long taken an interest in the small-town appearance of Professors Row and, in a letter to University officials, called it a "street that is particularly evocative of the early development of Tufts College and its growth within the agrarian, and subsequently, residential landscape of West Somerville."

This is not the first time Tufts has clashed with Somerville over the fate of the buildings on Professors Row. In the mid-1980's there was a serious effort to declare the entire street a historic district, a proposal Tufts opposed due to the considerable constraints such a label would have placed on any changes to the buildings' appearance.

The SHPC dropped the proposal in 1989 when Tufts Director of Community Relations Barbara Rubel sent a letter to the city promising "to work with the Commission to develop a plan for the accomplishment of mutual goals."

According to Doncaster, "the city bowed out due to this assurance." When Tufts began planning the construction slated to start this summer, University officials gained initial approval from Somerville Mayor Dorothy Kelly Gay, though their proposal did not include the destruction of the property at 20 Professors Row.

Gay and other city officials support Tufts' attempt to try to house more students on-campus, since students living in residential areas have created problems with parking, illegal apartments, and noise.

But "never in a million years did the city believe Tufts would raze these buildings [on Professors Row]," Doncaster said. The mayor supports the SHPC's opposition to Tufts' planned construction, he said.

Tufts will meet with the full membership of the SHPC to discuss the planned destruction of all three properties on Professors Row at their regular monthly meeting on May 20 - after the groundbreaking ceremony for the new dorm. According to Tufts Vice President of Operations John Roberto, "it's difficult to predict at this time the results of those discussions."

But only a few steps remain before the University can begin construction this summer, Roberto said. The job has been "competitively bid," and Tufts officials expect to receive approval from the Board of Trustees at its meeting on Commencement weekend.

The University has yet to receive a building permit from Somerville, however, a process that may be hindered by the fact that it requires authorization from the SHPC. Still, Tufts hopes the construction will begin in early June, Roberto said. "As soon as we get a building permit we'll start," he said.

Despite the recent controversy, architect Steve Dadagian has touted the new dorm as a "good reflection on the University" due to the new energy-efficient technologies it will incorporate. For example, the integration of solar hot water is expected to reduce energy use by 45 percent.

In addition, high performance windows will result in decreased stress on air conditioning units. The solar residence hall comes as part of a larger initiative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and educate Tufts students about energy, energy technologies, and climate change.

The new dorm also incorporates recommendations from the Task Force on the Undergraduate Experience on how to promote Tufts' intellectual climate. The dorm will house a faculty member with access to a programming budget, which will fund activities to create a community environment for students.

The initiative will help "to support a greater sense of community and more interaction between students and faculty," Task Force Chair Gilbert Metcalf said.

The dorm will also include common spaces for study, meetings, and community gatherings, including a roof terrace and a spacious atrium. The spaces will be designed to look inviting and maximize natural day lighting.

The dorm is expected to be "a new model for living and learning at Tufts," according to its planners.

Tufts hopes to finish building the new dorm in time to accommodate students in September 2004. The Music Department, currently located at 20 Professors Row, will be moved to the Provost's House after construction starts.