The Class of 2005 may not recognize the Tufts campus when they return for their 10 year reunion.
The impending sale of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church property from the Archdiocese of Boston to the University, the renovation of the Dame School, changes to Packard Hall, the construction of the Integrated Lab Building and the extension of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line to Medford will all play a part in shaping the future look of the University.
At press time, the University was very close to acquiring the former Sacred Heart church property on Winthrop Street. "We're in the final stages of terms and conditions for acquisition," University Vice President for Operations John Roberto said. "We do not have a specific reuse [plan]. Should we succeed [in acquiring the property], we're putting together some potential uses for the facility."
According to University Director of Community Relations Barbara Rubel, Medford residents may have a mixed reaction to the announcement of the property sale.
"Feelings ran very high when it was announced that that parish would close," she said. "There will be some people who feel that the University will be a good steward for that property, and there are others who feel that it should be put on the tax rolls. We just have to see how that works out."
Since the University is a non-profit organization, the use of the church will not generate tax revenue for the city.
Rubel said Medford residents were excited about a University purchase of the former Lorin Low Dame School on George Street, which will now house the University Advancement office, currently located in Packard Hall.
"The neighbors around the Dame School did not want it to be developed residentially," she said. "They were very welcoming of the University's interest for using it as an administration building."
Rubel said that negotiations over the reuse of that property filled a "reservoir of good feelings" for residents.
"Now as we proceed to renovation, doing the work on the building, we have to make sure we maintain that good feeling," she said. "And my office will work with the construction department to make sure that neighbors know what's going on, and that we're keeping them informed."
Roberto said the current work on the Dame School was to stop any further building deterioration. "There were some problems with some roof leaks and broken interior drainage piping - we wanted to stop any damage to the building," he said. "We'll probably be designing it over a year - the earliest it would be available would be January of 2007 but probably more like June of 2007."
The move of University Advancement would leave Packard Hall open for an academic tenant. "I'm sure we'll be looking to renovate [Packard Hall] for academic use. The thinking was to free up the space on the hill for academic purposes," Roberto said.
The University is in its preliminary planning phase for the construction of the Integrated Lab Building that will be built along Boston Avenue, on the now-vacant hillside next to Dowling Hall.
"We're just beginning the programming of that facility - identifying the users of that building, and roughly the type of space they would need," Roberto said. "We will be working with the School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering to determine the departments and types of activities that would go in the building."
The actual design phase is in the future, he said. Now, "we sit down with the representatives of the two schools and we will come up with the projected space needs and use needs for the building. This isn't even a design, it's called a space program."
The University has hired Cambridge's Ellenzweig Associates for the space program only. Ellenzweig has designed buildings for Harvard University, Post Office Square in Boston and Cambridge's Alewife Red Line station.
A space program "is the first step in what could be a four to five year project [until the building is completed] and that's assuming everything fell into place," Roberto said.
According to Rubel, Medford Mayor Michael McGlynn "seemed to be receptive" to the new building. "I think that most people don't like to commit themselves until they have as much information as they think they need, and we're not at that point yet."
A little further up the street from the site of the Integrated Lab Building, Boston Avenue's intersection with College Avenue might become home to a Green Line stop.
According to a Boston Globe report of May 12, funding was secured for further study of extending the Green Line to West Medford. One possible location for a stop is on the Tufts campus.
"The good news we have about the Green Line right now is that when the 'T' did all their modeling, they determined that extending the service to Medford makes sense," Rubel said. "But the work that's been done so far does not say that it will happen, where it will happen or how it will happen."
The MBTA asked Rubel to represent the University on an advisory committee regarding the project. "We have made it clear that we're very excited about the prospect of having a station within the campus - the obvious place is the intersection of Boston Ave. and College Ave. Both cities understand and seem to be supportive," she said.
Rubel said the mayors of both cities seem to also be receptive to the University moving forward with some of the recommendations of its Master Plan. "They appreciate that we're doing this very thoughtfully, they appreciate the fact that the plan doesn't represent anything large scale - large scale expansion into neighborhoods - and there are still pieces they're waiting to see with great interest, especially traffic and parking," she said.
"We are at a point in time where there are tremendous opportunities out there," Rubel said. "It's very fair to say that right now we have very strong positive relations with Medford and Somerville. We have two mayors who appreciate the University in their community and recognize that we are a positive citizen. They need to work with us when there are any differences. They're working with us. If there are problems that arise, I'm sure they'll tell us."
That the University spared the demolition of any homes on Professors Row in the construction of Sophia Gordon Hall and the new Music Building added to feelings of good will from the community, Rubel said. "The [Somerville] Planning Department is very positive about the design of the two buildings. We keep hearing people say, 'Tufts builds good buildings, Tufts takes really wonderful care of its campus.' Things are moving ahead in a very positive direction."
