Adams House Installs Bench

The late Harvard Chaplain Larry M. Hill used to tell students the world's problems could be solved if people would only sit down and discuss them.

Adams House, where Hill was a member of the Senior Common Room until his death in 1989, will soon provide another place for students to put his suggestion into practice.

House officials said yesterday that a cobalt-blue bench in the Adams courtyard, built in Hill's memory, is nearing completion.

The $6000 project, authorized by Master Robert J. Kiely, began two years ago. Bench builder Doug Fitch '82 said he decided to use deep blue paint to distinguish the bench from other gray, granite memorials that resemble head stones.

The bench, which is made of fiberglass, will be lighted from underneath to produce a glowing effect, Fitch said.

"It's more memorable this way," said Fitch, a former Adams House resident. "This one has a lot of life to it."

Fitch, an artist, said he has worked on the project off-and-on over the past two years. He said he initially planned to adorn the bench with assorted colored glass and water fountains. But because such a design would have been difficult to construct and maintain, Fitch decided to build a simpler, "hill-shaped" bench instead.

Some house residents said they welcomed the bench as promoting art and commemorating Hill.

"Many people think that spending exorbitant amounts of money on creative projects is wrong," said Jennifer Rubell '93. "They are wrong. Art is at the heart of Adams House, and those in charge of the house are doing well to preserve that tradition."

But Alexandra L. Jacobs '94, a literature concentrator in Adams, said she was not enthusiastic about the bench.

"I didn't even know what it was," said Jacobs. "Visually, I don't understand it. Conceptually, I don't understand it."

"In fact, it looks like congealing slush," she added of the fiberglass structure.

Daniel C. Dicicco '92, chair of the Adams House Committee, said he was concerned with the length of time the project had been taking to construct.

But Fitch said that when building a memorial, time is not a relevant factor.

"Time is just not a part of this project," he said.