Harvard Square Infill and Small Developments

Charlie_mta · Aug 27, 2016

That newsstand used to be a great place for me to stop by on the way home from Cambridge High and Latin in the 1960's. Taking a peek at Playboy magazine one time, the guy working there said, "This ain't no library, son." Then there were the hippies across the street in Holyoke Plaza selling Avatar, the underground newspaper at the time.

Obviously Harvard Square has lost its charm and has morphed into just another corporate mall for Harvard students. Back in the day it was a diverse and homey place populated by beatniks, eccentrics and intellectuals. Things do change.

George_Apley · Aug 27, 2016

There are still tons of local shops and restaurants in Harvard. I always thought it was unfair that it's constantly maligned as a corporate playground for Harvard students.

That said, the city has been making some really stupid decisions, this included.

odurandina · Aug 27, 2016

there's a lot of flavor on both sides of the river that's gone down the tubes in recent months. i hope this is the last of it, or i might be having coffee with Galer.

HenryAlan · Aug 30, 2016

statler said:
Again, open space for the public. The holiest of holy grails.

I would love to see a small sandwich shop, coffee place or even a pub here, but this space will never be privatized again.

It would literally be the perfect centerpiece for a beer garden. For a name, I nominate Out of Town Brews.

statler · Aug 30, 2016

shmessy · Sep 4, 2016

HenryAlan said:
It would literally be the perfect centerpiece for a beer garden. For a name, I nominate Out of Town Brews.

Ah, that's very good.

....or the Harvard Hillel buys it for a kosher dining hall and names it "Out of Town Jews".

(Although some skinheads might spray paint a comma before the last word)

After full reflection, I like Henry's idea better.

George_Apley · Sep 5, 2016

Gameguy326 said:
Would the Curious George bookstore move into the mall?

Unclear.

whighlander · Sep 6, 2016

FitchburgLine said:
Ehh, the existing building is 2 stories adjacent to residential (Harvard campus) and a heavy rail stop. My complaint is it isn't high enough- why fight the war over a zoning variance only to add a few extra stories?

FitchburgLine -- perhaps you didn't notice that there are not too too many tall building in the Yaaaahd -- I suspect that in informal conversations with the Haaaahvd.edu folks that they got what they have proposed -- otherwise they would have proposed more

FitchburgLine · Sep 6, 2016

perhaps you didn't notice that there are not too too many tall building in the Yaaaahd

Thanks, despite posting on an architecture forum I happen to be totally blind, super grateful for you to point that out. Harvard won't decide whether the building will be approved or not, Cambridge NIMBYs will, so I have no idea why the developers supposedly decided to have "conversations" with a powerless stakeholder.

whighlander · Sep 6, 2016

FitchburgLine said:
Thanks, despite posting on an architecture forum I happen to be totally blind, super grateful for you to point that out. Harvard won't decide whether the building will be approved or not, Cambridge NIMBYs will, so I have no idea why the developers supposedly decided to have "conversations" with a powerless stakeholder.

FitchburgLine -- I don't think its physical blindness its naïveté

powerless stakeholder.

If you don't think an entity with the assets larger than some reasonable percentage of the countries in the UN would want to make its informal views known about something happening literally across the street -- well then......

There could be not a single Cambridge NIMBY involved -- but if the President and Fellows of Harvard College* or what ever they want to call themselves were unalterably opposed it would not have a ghost of chance of happening.

*from the Wiki article:

In 1650, at the request of Harvard President Henry Dunster, the Great and General Court of Massachusetts issued the body's charter, making it now the oldest corporation in the Americas; detailed provisions for the Corporation's status and privileges were subsequently written into the charter of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as well.[clarification needed] Although the institution it governs has grown into Harvard University (of which Harvard College is one of several components), the corporation's formal title remains the President and Fellows of Harvard College.

PS: the same is true of the somewhat less grandly titled governing body for MIT the - MIT Corporation.

BostonDrew · Jul 20, 2017

1-8 and 17-41A Brattle St. likely to be put up for sale by the end of the summer. Family Trust likely to seek $95 million for the buildings.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/business...vard-square/bzdrNUBVo8sqB8sdY1YgPL/story.html

stellarfun · Dec 1, 2017

As there really isn't a Harvard in Cambridge thread, I'll post this here as its near the Square. Mods, feel free to move.

This project to renovate and expand Gund (home of Harvard's GSD) will be interesting. Given the projected cost, strikes me as yet another brutalist building that has neither aged well nor lent itself to easy upgrades.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/business...d-gund-hall/qdq4FMqvZZ0HBzDqYyIDNI/story.html

FK4 · Dec 2, 2017

stellarfun said:
Given the projected cost, strikes me as yet another brutalist building that has neither aged well nor lent itself to easy upgrades.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/business...d-gund-hall/qdq4FMqvZZ0HBzDqYyIDNI/story.html

Go inside during business hours and look at the studio space. It's amazing. All those steps seen in the roof are reflected interiorly by stepped up row upon row of studio space.