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Harvard officials claim that it is only a small renovation that will replace broken chair legs, bad wiring, computer non-compatibility and a worn-out floor. However, the integrity of the 1,030-square-foot room is being heavily defended by both architects and preservationists who believe the room should remain exactly as it was created.

The reading room, equipped with wooden screens, bookshelves, chairs and light fixtures, is one of just four Aalto projects United States.

The renovation, which began June 9, will include refinishing a large study table and rewiring and cleaning the original light fixtures. Some of the original Aalto pieces from the room including a chair, floor lamp and ceiling light will go to Harvards Busch-Reisinger Museum while remaining pieces will eventually go to auction.

Aalto was on the scale of Corbusier or Frank Lloyd Wrighthes the modern master. This should be a restoration, not a renovation. Its a tragedy, says Frederic Schwartz, a 1978 graduate of Harvards architecture school, who has led the campaign against the renovation, along with Toshiko Mori, the chair of the architecture department at the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

New York Times: Harvard Divided over a Study Room by Alvar Aalto