Harvard Square Infill and Small Developments

Article in the Globe, a reminiscence of Harvard Square of yesteryear. Prompted by a new book which is a historiographic assessment of Harvard Square by an MIT economic sociologist who lives there.

http://cup.columbia.edu/book/harvard-square/9780231209281

Publisher's blurb
Diving into Harvard Square’s past and present, Turco explores why we love our local marketplaces and why we so often struggle with changes in them. Along the way, she introduces readers to a compelling set of characters, including the early twentieth-century businessmen who bonded over scotch and cigars to found the Harvard Square Business Association; a feisty, frugal landlady who became one of the Square’s most powerful property owners in the mid-1900s; a neighborhood group calling itself the Harvard Square Defense Fund that fought real estate developers throughout the 1980s and ’90s; and a local businesswoman who, in recent years, strove to keep her shop afloat amid personal tragedy, the rise of Amazon, and a globalizing property market that sent her rent soaring.
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Globe essay:
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/03...5615983&s_campaign=todaysheadlines:newsletter

But I couldn’t help but think of how much the place had changed.

Wordsworth had closed years ago; 33 Dunster Street was a distant memory, too. And it only took my daughter a minute to pull out her phone, search for Starbucks, and take off with her friend.

I wanted to tell them, as they were disappearing down the sidewalk, that this wasn’t the experience they were supposed to be having. That the place had been corrupted, somehow.

That Harvard Square isn’t what is used to be.
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^^^From the Globe. Caption: Joan Baez performing in the square in the 1960s, as seen in the documentary "For the Love of the Music: The Club 47 Folk Revival."

Observation. In that era, doesn't appear that Ms. Baez shaved her legs.
 
sm89 said:
This is actually a pretty big project. Basically they're undoing the exterior renovation from the 1950s and restoring the church to its original look: CHC-Application-drawings-First-Parish-Church-9-8-2020-1.pdf (firstparishcambridge.org)
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Amazing. Of the many times I've seen First Parish I actually (somehow) had no idea it was essentially 1950s architecture - I assumed this was an 'authentic' look. Very cool to see; hoping the materials and execution are top-notch.
 
Dr. Rosen Rosen said:
Not exactly a new bldg…but, this is huge news for Harvard Sq: all Harvard museums are now free all the time! (It used to cost ~$20 for access). Here’s the Fogg Museum:

Visit | Harvard Art Museums

As an academic art institution, research and education are key to the Harvard Art Museums.
harvardartmuseums.org harvardartmuseums.org
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I think this is just the art museums. I checked their museum of natural history (ie the one with the dinosaur bones, giant whale bones, and mineral room) and there's a still a charge. It's unfortunate because I actually would have brought my kids there ASAP if it was free. For now they're probably still too young for paying to be worth it.

Plan Your Visit

Explore our exhibitions year-round and discover the natural history of the planet. Take a video tour of the museum galleries.
hmnh.harvard.edu hmnh.harvard.edu
 
DZH22 said:
I think this is just the art museums. I checked their museum of natural history (ie the one with the dinosaur bones, giant whale bones, and mineral room) and there's a still a charge. It's unfortunate because I actually would have brought my kids there ASAP if it was free. For now they're probably still too young for paying to be worth it.

Plan Your Visit

Explore our exhibitions year-round and discover the natural history of the planet. Take a video tour of the museum galleries.
hmnh.harvard.edu hmnh.harvard.edu
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oh no! Same for me…the natural history museum is our favorite.
 
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