Cambridge’s $4.6 million renovation plan for Harvard Square’s central plaza has no room for the current Out of Town News kiosk. The 500-square-foot structure dates from 1928, when it opened originally as an entrance for the Red Line stop. It has been used as a newsstand since 1984.
The city’s decision appears to be final. The newsstand owner’s current lease is up in July 2017, shortly before Cambridge wants to start renovation work on the city-owned plaza. Plus, the local business booster group supports its exit (though the city has said it would like to help Out of Town News find another Cambridge home).
What will become of the structure, which is on the National Register of Historic Places? It will likely become a glassy, more open public space, though nothing is final. Next month, the city will ask for volunteers to mull its future and the possibility of financial self-sufficiency for it.
Stay tuned. This is Cambridge. It will be interesting.
- Harvard Square could lose iconic Out of Town News [Globe]
- Cambridge Residents Flush $320,000 Down the Toilet [Curbed Boston]