In 2017, the City established a Harvard Square Kiosk and Plaza Working Group, composed of residents, business and property owners, representatives from local institutions, and urban design experts, to create a vision for the future use, operation, and governance of the Harvard Square Kiosk and Plaza.
The Working Group envisions the Harvard Square Kiosk and Plaza to be flexible, dynamic, and welcoming community assets that enhance the everyday life of Harvard Square, act as platforms for community gatherings, including civic, artistic, and social activities, and attract and serve a broad range of people, including residents, students, visitors, etc.
The interior of the Kiosk would function as a flexible space accommodating permanent and temporary community uses. Permanent uses would feature a Visitor Information Center with displays focused on Cambridge history and happenings and the provision of news, brochures, and other materials. Temporary uses would occupy a portion of the interior space intermittently during the span of a typical week, including informal public seating for gatherings. The Plaza would also accommodate a range of temporary programming serving the community. During periods of both temporary and regular use, the interior space would, in addition to acting as a space for relaxing, sitting, reading, meeting, etc., address in part key themes identified by Kiosk Working Group members and other participants in the public process, namely: local history, news, information about local events and services, and visitor information functions.
This project will be constructed in two phase: The Historic Out of Town News Kiosk Reconstruction and the Plaza Reconstruction.
For more details about the community process of this project, including the Working Group Final Report, please visit: www.cambridgema.gov/harvardsquarekiosk
October 2023
Plantings, punch list items.
June 2023
Interior work continues.
May 2023
Copper installation, and limestone cleaning.
April 2023
Interior Work continues.
November 2022
Masonry work, utility work, and framing.
October 2022
Begin copper installation and interior plumbing and painting work.
September 2022
Beginning the next phase of roof work and continuing masonry work on the headhouse.
August 2022
Continuing electrical work and waterproofing for the foundation.
July 2022
Crews are excavating for waterproofing work and continuing electrical work.
June 2022
Crews are prepping to begin removing the existing roof and installing new roof.
May 2022
The City's contractor, Wes Construction, will be remobilizing the week of May 3. Crews will be performing masonry work, painting, and placement of structural steel.
March 2022
Wes Construction anticipates remobilizing on site in April and completing the Kiosk project in November 2022.
The plaza project bid is opening on 3/10/2022 at 2PM at City Hall, Purchasing Department. It is expected that a contractor will be on board in Spring 2022 and work beginning a few weeks later.
The Community Development Department is working of an RFP for an operator for the Kiosk and expecting to have one onboard by early summer 2022. If you have questions about Kiosk operations, you can contact Melissa Peters, mpeters@cambridgema.gov.
June 2021
Over the next several weeks, the City's contractor, WES construction, will be performing demolition activities at the site.
The City's contractor, WES Construction, will be mobilizing in the area of the Kiosk beginning Wednesday, May 19th.
May 2021
April 2021
The Out of Town News Kiosk Renovation contract has been awarded to WES Construction Corp. A detailed construction schedule will be available soon.
Once the contractor has provided a schedule, a detailed timeline will be made available.