Building the New Harvard Art Museums Was a Story of Many, Many Constraints

Good urban design these days is all about infill redevelopment and adaptive re-use—reinventing existing buildings where they stand, and taking advantage of prime, pedestrian-friendly locations. But as Harvard University has found out, being “urbanistically correct,” to coin a phrase (and make up a word), can be an expensive and incredibly challenging undertaking.

Years ago, Harvard sought a brand-new museum to house the university’s major art collections, and enlisted Renzo Piano to design a big complex on Memorial Drive, on the banks of the Charles River. But neighbors in the area reacted vociferously—one resident essentially declared that if it was built, they'd blow it up—and the proposal was scuttled. Instead, there’s a park now at the site, previously a popular nursery and gardening store, with underground parking and graduate student housing on one side.