Harvard - Allston Campus

Not trying to get off Topic here:

Went to Harvard Square over the weekend. Could not believe no more Au Bon Pan. The entire building was getting renovated and it does seem that they will have a coffee shop in that location when finished. Was in a total shell shock.

Harvard Square has definitely lost its character to corporate America.
 
TheRifleman said:
Not trying to get off Topic here:

Went to Harvard Square over the weekend. Could not believe no more Au Bon Pan. The entire building was getting renovated and it does seem that they will have a coffee shop in that location when finished. Was in a total shell shock.

Harvard Square has definitely lost its character to corporate America.
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Long time listener, first time caller.

I'm confused as to how losing Au Bon Pain, a corporate fast-casual chain, signals Harvard losing its character to corporate America?
 
Maybe he is complaining about the lack of retail space in the geographic center of Harvard Square? Either way, Harvard Square has been taken over by corporate retail since the late 90s.

Anyone remember when there was an Abercrombie & Fitch near the T entrance/exit?
 
Gameguy326 said:
Long time listener, first time caller.

I'm confused as to how losing Au Bon Pain, a corporate fast-casual chain, signals Harvard losing its character to corporate America?
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Welcome, Gameguy,

You make a great point in that ABP is a corporate fast-casual chain. If I may, though...that particular ABP had been there for many, many years and was one of a declining number of places in Harv. Sq. where you could sit and chill out with a cup of coffee & read/chat/study for hours on end. Harv. Sq. has always been a tourist spot, but in the past it managed to be a tourist spot PLUS a haven for locals who wanted to chill/study/read...now, the latter is becoming less and less possible. Yeah, there are 3+ Starbuck's there, but there's little quality space to chill out. Everything/everyone seems to be a in a huge rush (e.g., "grab and go") in Harv. Sq. these days. There used to be deli's, diners, independent coffee shops, more used books+records, etc...

So, indeed, ABP is a corporate chain, but I just hope they don't replace it with a sterile cafeteria-style grab-and-go facility. They are redoing that whole student center building, but I have not seen the plans/renderings.

EDIT: also, this thread is for the allston campus...probably not the right spot to be complaining about Harv Sq. But the Smith student center renovation is a huge project, possibly deserving its own thread or perhaps someone could point us toward where it's already being discussed?
 
bigpicture7 said:
EDIT: also, this thread is for the allston campus...probably not the right spot to be complaining about Harv Sq. But the Smith student center renovation is a huge project, possibly deserving its own thread or perhaps someone could point us toward where it's already being discussed?
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It was in the Cambridge Developments thread, IIRC.

scc_day_view.jpg


It looks like an indoor lunch counter with outdoor seating. Not unlike the ABP.
 
Reznor said:
Maybe he is complaining about the lack of retail space in the geographic center of Harvard Square? Either way, Harvard Square has been taken over by corporate retail since the late 90s.

Anyone remember when there was an Abercrombie & Fitch near the T entrance/exit?
Click to expand...

To me, Harvard Square died when the Wurtshaus left. I guess that fits pretty well with your timeline.
 
Gameguy326 said:
Long time listener, first time caller.

I'm confused as to how losing Au Bon Pain, a corporate fast-casual chain, signals Harvard losing its character to corporate America?
Click to expand...

I believe that particular ABP was one of the first in the chain, and had been there since 1984. I am sure I went there in 1985, and at that time it had really good, freshly made breads, and was a welcome, relatively serene spot across the street from the Pit at the T headhouse. The outdoor seating and chess tables made for amazing people watching. I remember watching at least one insane punk rock brawl breakout from the vantage of one of the ABP tables. At that time, I don't think ABP was viewed as a dreaded corporate chain (a little like the original Bertucci's in Davis--that place was awesome!), though perhaps in retrospect it was the vanguard of the mall-ification. Given how much the Square has drifted towards banks and chains, at this point the ABP is what actually passes as character. Though the food has gone way downhill, I was sad to see it go.
 
Gameguy326 said:
Long time listener, first time caller.

I'm confused as to how losing Au Bon Pain, a corporate fast-casual chain, signals Harvard losing its character to corporate America?
Click to expand...

I should have really clarified this comment.
Yes. Au Bon Pain is corporate chain. This was one of the corporations that did fit well for the Square.

My comment concerning Harvard Square which I feel got ruined by the corporations more so because of the BANKS taking on the prime retail spots also Staples came into the area. I actually miss the old House of Blues that was actually unique.

Harvard Square is a perfect example of corporate retail failure.

It's one thing about a Mix of Corporate and Mom & Pop retails: You need balance
 
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Reznor said:
...Harvard Square has been taken over by corporate retail since the late 90s.
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TheRifleman said:
Harvard Square is a perfect example of corporate retail failure.

It's one thing about a Mix of Corporate and Mom & Pop retails: You need balance
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This whole narrative about the corporate chain takeover of Harvard Square is objectively untrue. According to the Harvard Square Business Association 80 percent of the businesses in the square are locally owned, 15 percent are national chains, and 5 percent are regional chains. The "balance" is 4:1 in favor of locally owned businesses.

I don't know where in the world you all do your shopping, but Harvard remains one of the most interesting and unique shopping/entertainment districts I have ever visited. Maybe it was *that much better* in the good ole days, but it is hardly the outdoor shopping mall that people inexplicably accuse it of being.
 
TuT Tut -- How many of you remember the Cambridge Trust Building?

Surprise -- Well its gone but the Bank is still there -- biger as and as prominent as ever [celebrating its 125th anniversary]
https://www.cambridgetrust.com/LifesBank/AboutUs/tabid/10613/Default.aspx

and celebrating how things have changed -- watch the video you might learn something

And of course the grandpappy of all Cambridge Banks -- Cambridge Savings Bank [182 years old and alive and kicking with its logo in iconic position attop its iconic building]
boston-jiawangkun.jpg


Banks, Coffee shops, they are there because that is what people seem to want in one of these kind of "people watching places" -- the rest are on their mobile devices shopping on Amazon or E-bay or playing "Candy Crush", "Angry Birds", "Forge of Empires" or perhaps GPS-enabled Pokemon

This is not a conspiracy -- its economic life and all life whether economic, robotic or organic is all about transformation and change
 
^^^^
Disagree with you about economics and what people want.
Our economic system is not subject based on supply & demand.

The current economic system has been devaluing the currency since the beginning of the FED which favors the corporations. How can the Mom & Pop exist when you continue to devalue their currency (buying Power). Mom & Pop don't have unlimited credit like the corporations:

So concerning red hot locations like Harvard Square how are they supposed to continue with their uniqueness when they are already pricing out the Mom & Pop from the get go.
(Harvard Square will never be anything like it was in the 70's-80's under the new economic system)
 
"new economic system?" The Fed was created over 100 years ago.

Can we please get this tread back on topic?
 
TheRifleman said:
^^^^
Disagree with you about economics and what people want.
Our economic system is not subject based on supply & demand.

The current economic system has been devaluing the currency since the beginning of the FED which favors the corporations. How can the Mom & Pop exist when you continue to devalue their currency (buying Power). Mom & Pop don't have unlimited credit like the corporations:

So concerning red hot locations like Harvard Square how are they supposed to continue with their uniqueness when they are already pricing out the Mom & Pop from the get go.
(Harvard Square will never be anything like it was in the 70's-80's under the new economic system)
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Riff -- "there you go again" [RR to Jimma the Peanut in Pres debate]
I don't think that the Fed devaluing the currency is responsible for Harvard Square or Downtown Crossing changing

The numerous [7 or 8] department stores in DTX went all the way down to 1 for a while -- now perhaps you can make a case for their being 1.8 to 2 with the coming of Primark.

A few blocks away -- Newspaper Row vanished as all the surviving newspapers moved way outside the core -- Now perhaps you make the case for 2 newspapers in the core {Globe on State St.} and Herald in the midst of the Seaport.

If your contention was accurate about Harvard Sq. being taken over by the big bad banks in cahoots with the Fed -- then CitiBank wouldn't be leaving as they are -- they just couldn't make a go of it in Massachussetts

No -- there are market forces -- albeit effected by externalities such as the reconstruction of the T stop for the Alewife Extension of the Red Line and the ensuing disruption in the square for several years
 
Boston02124 said:
New crane ?
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Temporary lane closures on Memorial Drive will occur throughout the week to allow for large mobilizations/de-mobilizations of equipment to and from the site.

The tower crane will be set up this week.

Plympton Street will be closed only on Tuesday, July 19th from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm to set up the tower crane.......
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http://construction.harvard.edu/house-renewal-projects

This is Winthrop House. For the scale and cost (> $1 billion) of the Harvard renovation of the residence houses, there is rarely mention of it in archboston. The crane is for an addition, to be called Beren Hall.

Elevations.jpg

bottom panel, original design

Gift-Story-Beren-Hall_corner-view_605.jpg

revised design (after faculty and students rebelled).

In any event, the construction is not in Allston, but in Cambridge.
 
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