Bow, Dunkin' Donuts, May Go Way of Tasty

The Bow and Arrow Pub and the Mass. Ave. Dunkin' Donuts may be about to join The Tasty in a dubious Harvard Square clique: Good Will Hunting made them famous, development could make them disappear.

The two establishments, housed in a building owned by the Harvard Cooperative Society at the corner of Mass. Ave. and Bow Street, will likely be forced to move out in the next two months as renovations begin on the building, according to Coop President Jeremiah P. Murphy '73.

Murphy said there was a "90 percent chance" that the current residents would have to move during the construction phase, but could return afterward if they are willing to pay higher rent.

The renovation deal was signed about a year ago and construction should begin before the end of the semester. It is scheduled to be finished this fall, just in time to greet the Class of 2004.

Much like the Harvard Square Coop itself, which received a facelift in 1998, the building on the corner of Bow and Arrow streets will maintain its original structure while integrating an antique motif, attempting to re-establish the look it had years ago.

While the building is open to any tenants, including its current occupants, none have made any agreements with the Coop yet. Murphy said the owners are looking for occupants who would be "the best type of tenants for Harvard Square."

He said he expects the refurbished building to hold a combination of office and retail space, but that the new tenants will have some discretion regarding how the space is used.

After the renovations, the rent will be increased and established at a level that is at the "market rate for that part of the Square," according to Murphy.

Steve Latzanakis, owner of the combination Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin Robbins franchise, said he believes the Coop wants to bring larger corporate tenants into the building and that the overall diversity of the Square will suffer.

"This says they're chasing out small businesses and they're not giving them a fair chance to return," Latzanakis said.

The Dunkin' Donuts has been in the building since 1971, and the popular pub has occupied the building for decades.

When asked if the current tenants would receive special consideration because they have occupied the building for so long, Murphy said that older tenants are not necessarily protected more than others.

"Think about it, the Tasty had been around much, much longer and the Tasty's gone."

Murphy was referring to the famous all-night diner, which was in the center of Harvard Square for decades until it was replaced by the current Abercrombie and Fitch clothing store in the fall of 1997.

That was the same year that it was featured in the extremely popular and Academy Award-winning film Good Will Hunting.

Several scenes from the movie were filmed in Harvard Square, including one inside the Bow and Arrow Pub and outside the adjacent Dunkin' Donuts, where actor and former Harvard student Matt Damon, Class of 1996, pounded on the glass to taunt a rival.

If Dunkin' Donuts does return, as the franchise owner hopes, it will incorporate a West Coast sandwich shop called Togo into the store.

"If we have a grand reopening, I would invite Matt Damon to come, put his hand on the original sheet of plate glass and trace his hand," Latzanakis said.