Historic Harvard Square Kiosk Reopens as Cambridge KiOSK After 5 Years

The newly renovated Cambridge KiOSK — formally known as the Harvard Square Kiosk — welcomed visitors back with a ribbon cutting celebration on Friday morning.

The building has been a landmark since it first opened in 1927 — first serving as the entrance to the Harvard Square stop on the Red Line before Out of Town News turned the space into a newsstand in 1983. The reopening marks the end of a nearly decade-long renovation process marred by pandemic delays and supply chain issues.

More than a hundred city and local leaders, kiosk project workers, and residents gathered to celebrate the long-awaited return.

“It is a great morning because we are here to see history be made, be new, be born,” Cambridge Mayor E. Denise Simmons said. “I am so very excited to be here as someone who went to the Out of Town News ticket agency kiosk a lot of times. It’s really a part of my childhood.”

Melissa A. Miguel, the supervising engineer and project manager of the kiosk, said the opening caps a nearly decade-long redevelopment plan for the kiosk.

“It actually feels surreal,” Miguel said. “I’ve been on the project for over 10 years, so I’ve really taken a personal ownership of it, and really wanted to see it succeed, and I'm excited that it's open.”

The Cambridge KiOSK will carry news publications and house the Cambridge Office for Tourism like its predecessor, while also serving as a public venue for exhibitions, art classes, and open mic nights.

The kiosk’s inaugural exhibit showcased the history of local print journalism in Cambridge and the legacy of Out of Town News. The display featured archival material of local cultural and radical newspapers from the 60’s and 70’s.

Chris Faraone, the editorial director of the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism, curated the exhibit to connect visitors with the impact the kiosk had on print media in the past.

“I can see the look on some people’s faces, they walk in here. Just the memories of these publications, of being in the newsstand. That’s important,” Faraone said.

While the Cambridge Kiosk Advisory Committee is responsible for overseeing the kiosk’s operations and providing recommendations to City Manager Yi-An Huang ’05, the kiosk’s day-to-day programming will be managed by CultureHouse — a Somerville-based organization focused on revitalizing unused spaces.

Cambridge City Councilor Patricia M. “Patty” Nolan ’80 said that the kiosk serves as a blueprint to revitalize other parts of the city.

“My vision, frankly, is for even more opening spaces, like pedestrianizing several other blocks of Harvard Square, which I’m working on, the council is looking at,” she said.

The areas of the Harvard Square Plaza surrounding the Kiosk are still under construction after the pit was demolished. The full Plaza is slated to reopen in the fall of 2026.

Paula Van Gelder, a Cambridge resident for 50 years, said the reopening of the kiosk is a reminder of its lasting impact on the city of Cambridge.

“I’ve seen various iterations of the kiosk, and it’s been sad lately,” Van Gelder said.

“It’s like there’s been a hole in our community that’s now finally being filled,” she added.

— Staff writer Kevin Zhong can be reached at kevin.zhong@thecrimson.com.