September 8, 1999

Lee Kennedy Co., Inc. Begins Harvard's Widener Library Renovation

In a city with a construction project underway as colossal as the "Big Dig," one might expect to find the tallest crane in the Boston area amidst the "crane orchard" along I-93. One, for example, wouldn't expect to find the mightiest crane in all the land to appear at a library renovation project at Harvard University. However, the lofty, yellow, 185-foot Liebherr tower crane, with a 230-foot boom being used during the Widener Stacks Renovation project at Harvard does currently top the area's crane skyline - indicating a rather colossal undertaking in its own rite.

This immodest crane, which has the capacity to lift up to 28,000 lbs., performs several important functions in the completion of the Widener project. The crane's first duty entailed a three-week endeavor to drop all the necessary excavation equipment into the library's two internal courtyards, which are being capped with skylights and converted to reading room and office space, thus allowing for three additional floor levels inside the library. The crane is now embarking on its second task to remove the soil excavations from the floors of the courtyards as well as to remove debris from the demolition of the library's outdated ventilation system. Finally, the crane will be used to install the steel framing and metal deck of the new floors as well as the skylight trusses. Lee Kennedy Co., Inc. is providing the pre-construction and construction services on this dynamic renovation/preservation project with Einhorn Yaffee Prescott Architects. Harvard College Library and the Faculty of Arts and Sciences are managing the pre-construction and construction phases of the project.

The crane arrived in June on 14 semi-trucks from Morrow Equipment in Texas and took three days to erect. "Two months of planning were necessary to ensure the crane would go up without a hitch in the middle of Harvard Square," says Lee Michael Kennedy, executive vice president and principal-in-charge for the project. The crane is anchored into a 20x20x5-foot concrete pad, nestled in a narrow space between the Widener Library and Harvard Yard's wall on Mass Ave. A 200-ton Liebherr mobile crane was used to erect the massive tower crane. This mobile crane had to be positioned straddling over both the MBTA's inbound and outbound red line tunnels, thus requiring several precautionary procedures to be performed before the MBTA would approve the crane assembly project. Public safety was of utmost importance in the delicate operation, therefore necessitating coordination and teamwork from numerous public agencies. Lee Kennedy Co. performed a structural inspection of a 200-foot section of the subway tunnels to make sure they could withstand the weight of the mobile crane. Next, Lee Kennedy's structural engineers were involved in the design of a platform required to support the mobile crane so that its weight would be properly distributed over the tunnels. Finally, after the tower crane was erected, another survey was taken inside the subway tunnels to ensure no damage had been done to the tunnels. Lee Kennedy Co. was also required to develop a traffic plan and obtain permits from the City of Cambridge Traffic and Parking Department in order to prepare for the caravan of trucks delivering the tower crane.

In addition to the in-fill of the courtyards, the Widener Library will receive significant mechanical enhancements as well. However, the true benefactor of this two-fold project won't be the 84 year-old building itself, but rather, the 3.5 million volumes, including a rare book collection, housed inside the library.

At more than 300,000 square feet, Widener is Harvard's largest library and is the world's largest private research library. Built in 1915, the library was a gift of Mrs. Eleanor Widener in memory of her son Harry Elkins Widener, Class of 1907. Mr. Widener was a book collector whose personal collection totaled some 3,500 rare books at the time of his death in 1912 as a passenger aboard the Titanic.

Every measure is being taken to ensure the books' protection throughout the project. Rather than work around the books, as often occurs in library renovations, every book in the Widener library will be moved at least once through several construction phases in order to protect the books and keep the library open for the Harvard Community during the project. "It was very important to Harvard that the books remain in the library and accessible to students, faculty and staff," says Kennedy. "By moving the books and completely segregating them from any possible construction debris, we will avoid the problems other libraries encountered when they covered their books, left them in place and worked around them."

The library's stacks are comprised of self-supporting steel and iron shelving which stand 10 tiers high. Air is free to flow from the basement level of the stacks to the ceiling, 76 feet above. The rare book collection and offices were designed to receive fresh air via large, opening windows facing into the library's courtyard. However, it has since been learned that fresh air, along with fluctuating humidity and temperature, are the leading factors in the deterioration of books. Hence, a new HVAC system with desiccant dehumidification will be installed for the stack areas along with new lighting. Furthermore, the stack levels will be compartmentalized on each level, reducing the damage a fire would cause were the stacks to remain open. New-state-of-the-art fire protection and fire alarm systems will also complement the enclosed stack levels.

The library will remain open and in full operation throughout the duration of the two-and-a-half-year project. The crane will be a fixture at Harvard Yard until May of 2000.

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