Harvard Square Kiosk Plaza Renovation Project to Resume After Years-Long Delay

Construction is slated to resume on the Harvard Square Kiosk Plaza with an eye toward completing the project by 2026, the Harvard Square Business Association announced on Thursday.

The renovation project has been in the works for nearly a decade, but the construction was delayed by a variety of factors, including the Covid-19 pandemic and supply chain issues, according to HSBA Executive Director Denise Jillson.

HSBA announced in an email that the project will go through eight phases before it is completed in 2026. The update comes after a years-long delay in the project, with the latest update on the city’s website being from mid-2022.

Jillson said in an interview that several recent incidents — such as the falling debris in Harvard Square’s MBTA station — also likely contributed to the project’s delay.

“It was just really clear that the MBTA wanted to make sure that everything was solid before construction began upstairs, overhead with the plaza,” Jillson said. “Because from the sidewalk below, there’s just — literally, in some cases — just a couple feet before you hit the top of the tunnel.”

The renovation will start with Phase 8, due to delays involving minor water pipe issues with the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority.

“Luckily, they're moving forward with Phase 8, because all of the requirements around that particular phase are in a position for us to move forward,” Jillson said.

Jillson also discussed some of the planned changes, including improving accessibility of the overall space.

“I think probably the one thing that will please everybody is that the plaza will be ADA compliant, and right now it’s not,” she said. “So it’s very difficult for people with disabilities to maneuver through the plaza.”

City spokesperson Jeremy C. Warnick wrote in an emailed statement that “by transforming this historic landmark into a dynamic public space, we look forward to creating more opportunities for creativity, connection, and collaboration in the center of Harvard Square.”

The current renovation project aims to enhance Harvard Square and adapt the historic site to be a more “flexible” place. Some of the proposals include a visitor information center in the kiosk and informal public seating in the plaza.

The kiosk was built in 1928 and has long been a staple of Harvard Square. Notably, it was home to the Out of Town News newsstand from 1984 to 2019.

Economics professor Jason Furman ’92 wrote in an emailed statement that he has fond memories of reading news from the kiosk and spending time in the plaza.

“When I was in college in the late 1980s I loved browsing news from all over the world in Out-of-Town News at the heart of Harvard Square,” Furman wrote.

“It was a common meeting place because you always knew you could occupy yourself for a few minutes if the other person was late for a meeting,” he added. “It would be great to have something like that back — but now a place to sit while browsing news from all over the world on your phone.”

—Staff writer Eunice S. Chae can be reached at eunice.chae@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @eschae007.