City Checked On Plan For JFK Library

City officials have apparently failed to obtain the Bennett St. MTA Yards as a site for the Kennedy Library. Their attempt--made with Harvard's knowledge but not its encouragement--seems blocked by the same relocation problem that prevented the sale of the Yards last spring.

Mayor Edward A. Crane '35 said yesterday that he had discussed the Yards during the past few weeks with Gov. Peabody and members of the Metropolitan Transit Authority. He said that Peabody had told him the MTA would find it difficult to donate the property because it had no other suitable location for its repair facilities.

This is the reason that the MTA gave earlier this year for not selling the Yards, and it has not acquired any major pieces of real estate since then. It is thus considered unlikely that the agency can fine a place to move before the corporation that controls the Kennedy Library has gone too far to change its plans.

Observers have raised the possibility that the MTA might donate the open part of the Yards for the Kennedy Library while continuing to operate their repair shop, but it is highly doubtful that such an arrangement would be practicable.

When President Kennedy visited Cambridge last April, he said he wanted his library built on the Bennett St. location, but University officials told him there was little chance of obtaining the Yards. In the contract he signed with Harvard last October, therefore. Kennedy specified a site by the Business School.

The University was originally interested in the Bennett St. Yards as a site for a tenth House, but decided early this year to seek another site. President Pusey said in September, that he did not believe MTA would leave the Yards anytime in the foreseeable future.

Although the University knew of the Mayor's talks on the Yards. It took no part in them because of a decision to leave all details of planning for the library to the Kennedy corporation. Harvard does exercise some control over the group, however, since Pusey is one of its directors.