University News | December 6, 2019

Harvard Square under reconstruction

A familiar place’s new faces

From The January-February 2020 Issue

Photograph of major construction projects in Harvard Square — Photograph by Jim Harrison

Returning visitors may find themselves disoriented as familiar haunts undergo major makeovers, shown here in mid November. The triangle between JFK and Brattle Streets (foreground) is being rebuilt as a high-end retail mall. The offices over Brattle (plywooded windows to the rear), also in new ownership, are being renovated. And Out of Town News has closed.

Published in the January-February 2020 print issue under the headline “Restructuring Harvard Square,” in the John Harvard's Journal section.

You might also like

Red brick building with large windows and greenery, set against a bright blue sky.

After a final round of layoffs, University leaders say 165 staff jobs were eliminated across the division.

University Hall with steps and the John Harvard statue, surrounded by trees and a grassy lawn.

Long-discussed reorganization includes layoffs and the end of the Dudley Community.

Modern building with large glass windows, surrounded by greenery and pedestrians.

A roundup of University news from the summer of 2026

Most popular

A woman with long hair stands confidently with crossed arms next to a pickup truck.

All That’s Unseen charts the Harvard graduate’s uneasy journey from Appalachia to Cambridge and back.

A blue refrigerator covered with animal pictures, notes, and drawings, surrounded by greenery.

An animal’s journey from grief to love shows how much humans need each other, too.

Caricature of a young man in front of red doors, wearing a green striped sweater.

In 1954, Gregory Corso moved into Eliot House. How he stayed there is a literary legend.

Explore More From Current Issue

Three actors perform on stage, with one actor interacting closely with another, set against abstract backgrounds.

Arts & Culture

The play Spare Parts is a contemporary fable about the quest to live forever.

Research

The stakes are high for this husband and wife: one of them will die if they don’t find a cure.

Smiling woman stands beside a large skull in a display cabinet.

Faculty

From competing in youth gymnastics to studying tetrapods, the Harvard curator has always chased her curiosity.