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

Joseph Nye, former Dean of Harvard Kennedy School and leading political scientist

Mark Carney on the Limits of Soft Power

At the 2026 Davos summit, the Canadian prime minister echoes Harvard’s Joseph Nye.

Podcasting is becoming one of the fastest-growing methods of sharing political discourse to wide audiences

Are Creators the Future of Democracy?

A Harvard panel considers how “parasocial relationships” might drive democratic engagement.

Dick Friedman, longstanding contributing editor to Harvard Magazine,

Five Questions with Dick Friedman

Harvard Magazine’s longstanding football editor reflects on his career in journalism.

Most popular

Allston ArtLab Prepares to Open

An “interdisciplinary laboratory devoted to creativity, innovation, collaboration, and connection”

Amy Cuddy at Harvard Business School’s Baker Library

Profile of social psychologist Amy Cuddy of Harvard Business School

Amy Cuddy probes snap judgments, warm feelings, and how to become an “alpha dog.”

Laurie Wayburn finds both inspiration and solace in these protected wood- lands, within walking distance of her San Francisco office.

Profile of Pacific Forest Trust president Laurie Wayburn

An alumna works to sustain commerce and conservation

Explore More From Current Issue

Four young people sitting around a table playing a card game, with a chalkboard in the background.

K-12

On Weekends, These Harvard Math Professors Teach the Smaller Set

At Cambridge Math Circle, faculty and alumni share puzzles, riddles, and joy.

A girl sits at a desk, flanked by colorful, stylized figures, evoking a whimsical, surreal atmosphere.

Undergraduate Column

The Trouble with Sidechat

No one feels responsible for what happens on Harvard’s anonymous social media app.

Four men in a small boat struggle with rough water, one lying down and others watching.

Politics and Law

The 1884 Cannibalism-at-Sea Case That Still Has Harvard Talking

The Queen v. Dudley and Stephens changed the course of legal history. Here’s why it’s been fodder for countless classroom debates.