The long-awaited second groundbreaking of Sophia Gordon Hall will take place in June 2005, after fears of destroying historical buildings were allayed by a new architectural design.
The residence hall, which will house 150 students, will be built between Stratton Hall and 11 Talbot Ave. The two structures currently on that parcel of land are being prepared for demolition through the removal of door knockers and other hardware.
The building plans have been redesigned to confine the new dorm to the property along Talbot Ave. Previous plans called for an L-shaped building that would extend to Professors Row, requiring the demolition of the house at 20 Professors Row, which once housed Tufts' first president, Hosea Ballou.
Doug Johnston, the principal of William Rawn Associates who is designing the new University Master Plan and the redesign of Gordon Hall, said that the dorm's design changes took into account the historical significance of Professors Row.
"We have worked with a much more limited site area for the building that does not encroach on the building at 20 Professors Row, and I think our recommendation would be along the lines of preservation of those buildings, not trying to fold them into a new residence hall," Johnston said.
Johnston wants Gordon Hall to be a connector between uphill and downhill, contributing to the Master Plan's effort to facilitate the ease of crossing campus.
"Rather than [Professors Row] being a barrier between uphill and downhill," Johnston said, it has potential to "create better connections."
Johnston said that he wanted to find a way to create a bridge between upper campus and lower campus via Gordon Hall.
Ground was first broken for Gordon Hall in May 2003. The building was originally supposed to open in 2004, but controversy over the demolition of 20 Professors Row postponed construction. The Somerville Historical Preservation Commission (SHPC) vocally objected to the destruction of 20 Professors Row and refused to approve building permits needed for construction.
The SHPC "saw the entrance [at Professors Row] as having significance to the campus as an entity; it was the right feel for the campus," University Vice President of Operations John Roberto said. "The buildings were handsome, of the appropriate scale, and it made a nice symbolic entrance."
But it wasn't just pressure from the SHPC that caused the relocation of Gordon Hall, Roberto said. Rawn Associates was "aware of the Historical Commission's concerns, but it's safe to say that Rawn came to their evaluation on their own," he said.
"Clearly the [SHPC] did not like the fact that the dorm as previously designed would have impacted Professors Row. It has to be a consideration in the new site of the dorm. I don't think that the Historical Commission's objection impacted Rawn's view, or Rawn's analysis," Roberto said.
But progress on the dorm was held up last spring when talks stalled between Tufts and the City of Somerville. The city refused to budge on preserving buildings of historical significance and Tufts was unable to proceed without obtaining permits that required the SHPC's approval.
Mark Horan, spokesman for Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone, said the mayor was pleased with the new plans.
"We always try to balance economic growth with preservation at all times, and try to preserve the historic quality of Somerville," Horan said. "Tufts is a really important part of the community, so we want to make sure that Tufts can grow in a reasonable fashion but at the same time try to preserve the historic quality of the city of Somerville."
