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A brown rabbit crouching between a garbage can and Children's, totally out of place.

I didn't know that now-metal building near the library is the Swiss consulate. Why Cambridge?

Egg color depends on the type of chicken; why do none of the organic egg farmers raise chickens that lay white eggs?

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From:

jwg.livejournal.com

They wanted to be near Harvard and MIT. Here is a statement about it.

"The Swiss House for Advanced Research and Education is the world's first digital consulate and serves as a link between the scientific, academic, and high-tech communities of New England and Switzerland."

"We are proud to establish the first consulate in the world that is exclusively dedicated to Science, Research and Education. Our mission is to support the next generation by focusing on projects that support knowledge transfers, exchange programs and by assisting young Swiss Scientists in maintaining close contact to their home country."

The building used to be a Sage's grocery store. There were huge protests by some of the neighbors when this new use was proposed - they were going to miss their local store (I thought it was not a very good one the Broadway Market was a couple of blocks away and they were afraid of all the traffic. I know some of those people too well from their involvement in the library project.

From:

magid.livejournal.com

I remember when it was a Sage's; I went in once and was surprised by how much wasn't there, considering the space they had. I didn't go back; it wasn't worth it. Broadway is expensive, but has a lot of stuff, so I end up there every once in a while, for convenience or specialty things.

Did the same people not want the library larger so there wouldn't be extra traffic?

I wonder how busy a consulate dedicated to science, research, and education is, even with a number of universities around. Their description makes me think of an overgrown study-abroad department somewhere, actually.

From:

jwg.livejournal.com

Did the same people not want the library larger so there wouldn't be extra traffic?

Yes it is the same set. There is a long history to this site dating back to almost 30 years ago with the expansion of the high school and remake of the park. The current situation is pretty good - there has been lots of interaction with the neighbors and the planning in progress has a good library plan and the park will be better. After Tuesday's meeting of the Design Advisory Committee (I am a member) I asked one of the more negative people what he thought and he surprised me with a "I think things are going well - these designers are doing a good job".

some library project background (http://www.livejournal.com/users/jwg/5684.html)

I've never seen much activity at the Swiss House - it's a good neighbor.

From:

magid.livejournal.com

Thanks for the link(s) to the library plans. I hadn't realized just how far along the planning is. It looks reasonable on paper (though I had some initial questions, like whether the school's tennis courts will survive, and whether the huge trees will like having parking beneath them. Would that parking be able to link up to the school parking at non-school hours, or do they remain separate?). I hadn't realized that the current configuration is only 30 years old, either.

I also have to admit that after living through the Cambridge Hospital construction at the same time as the Cambridge St. construction, plus the Youville Hospital construction... I'm not looking forward to the actual process of building. I'm sure it won't have such an impact on me (I'm closer to Cambridge Hospital), really. Just the thought of it makes me wonder about parking and things like that, though. (This isn't saying I don't want it not to happen.)

Once or twice, I've seen people going in or out of the Swiss House; it's pretty quiet.

From:

jwg.livejournal.com

The tennis courts will survive - the edge closest to the library will essentially abut the building and there are still some unresolved issues about the exit from the Gym behind the tennis court and whether people can actually pass between them. It is possible that the Tot lot will be placed in front of the tennis court because it is thought that the current location is not good for the new configuration.

There was an earlier plan that removed the school parking from under the tennis courts and placed another level of parking in the new underground library garage in front of the old building but it was going to add another 10 million or so in costs so that idea was abandoned. The two garages will not be connected.

They will have to remove many of the trees in front of the library in order to build the garage. They plan on preserving the two beech trees. The one surviving elm will have to go. The plan is to replace trees with some new ones but have it not be so dense as it is now - partly so the whole library building will be more visible from the street than it is now (as it was when the building first was built). I'm sorry to see the trees go but it does seem there are no alternatives.

An earlier idea was to put the garage under the other end of the park near Ellery St but that was disliked by the neighbors and required cars driving through the middle of the park to get to it (as they do now to get to the parking lot). The new scheme with the garage ramp close to the high school will remove the divide from the park. Pedestrian and high school student traffic analysis shows that the new place is just fine and safe.

From:

magid.livejournal.com

It sounds like a good plan, all around, though I'm sad to hear about the trees; I guess I've gotten used to the shadiness of the park on that side. And I tend to like big trees, too. Ah, well.

Moving the entrance to the library lot makes it easier for people to not end up in the library lot by accident, too. (I suppose it might also be easier to give directions to confused out of towners, too, looking for one part of Trowbridge or another.)