Hillel Raises $7M for Hall

Harvard-Radcliffe Hillel has clinched almost $7 million in pledges for its new Rosovsky Hall, but construction may be delayed until the spring because of a lawsuit blocking the granting of a building permit.

While Hillel officials have not disclosed the exact amount of the fundraising drive, Richard S. Rosenbloom '54, chair of Hillel's board of directors, said it exceeds $8 million. The ambition and success of Hillel's drive is unprecedented among student groups at Harvard.

As of September, Hillel had surpassed its interim target by $1 million, according to Rosenbloom, who is Sarnoff professor of business administration at the Harvard Business School. He declined to specify the exact total but said most of the funds are from parents of current undergraduates and recent graduates.

The construction was supposed to begin next month, but may have been delayed, according to Scott Levitan, Harvard Real Estate's associate vice president for construction and planning.

A lawsuit filed by the Harvard Square Defense Fund, a community action group, and two neighbors challenged the variance granted for the building last spring. The suit charges that Harvard does not allocate sufficient parking for its buildings under Cambridge regulations, according to the Fund's President Gladys P. Gifford.

Cambridge city code requires that buildings must be allocated one parking space per 1,000 square feet. Gifford said Harvard "double-counts" its parking space by assigning the same parking lot to more than one building.

Rosovsky Hall will require 100 additional parking spaces, Gifford said.

Gifford insisted that any delays in litigation were Harvard's fault, noting that she had negotiated an informal agreement with Harvard Real Estate in the spring and submitted a written proposal at the beginning of the summer.

Both Rosenbloom and Gifford, however, agreedthat the case would be settled soon.

Under the proposed compromise, Gifford saidHarvard will release information about its parkingpolicies and will apply to the city for a parkingwaiver for Rosovsky Hall. In addition, Harvard mayagree to a "slight" reduction in the height of thebuilding, according to Gifford.

The litigation has been conducted by theHarvard Square Defense Fund and Harvard's lawyers.

Hillel's new building, to be paid for entirelywith Hillel funds, will be owned by Harvard RealEstate, the University's real estate arm,according to Levitan.

But Hillel will sign a 99-year lease withHarvard and has complete discretion in designingand operating it. Harvard owns the site of theproject in the garden behind the Fly Club on Mt.Auburn Street.

"There was something in it for everybody," saidActing Director of Hillel Rabbi Sally Finestoneabout the deal between Harvard and Hillel

Both Rosenbloom and Gifford, however, agreedthat the case would be settled soon.

Under the proposed compromise, Gifford saidHarvard will release information about its parkingpolicies and will apply to the city for a parkingwaiver for Rosovsky Hall. In addition, Harvard mayagree to a "slight" reduction in the height of thebuilding, according to Gifford.

The litigation has been conducted by theHarvard Square Defense Fund and Harvard's lawyers.

Hillel's new building, to be paid for entirelywith Hillel funds, will be owned by Harvard RealEstate, the University's real estate arm,according to Levitan.

But Hillel will sign a 99-year lease withHarvard and has complete discretion in designingand operating it. Harvard owns the site of theproject in the garden behind the Fly Club on Mt.Auburn Street.

"There was something in it for everybody," saidActing Director of Hillel Rabbi Sally Finestoneabout the deal between Harvard and Hillel