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Redevelopment of Harvard Square's Garage on hold until owner can find a big new office tenant
By adamg on Mon, 11/20/2023 - 9:34am
The Crimson reports on the status of plans to rebuild the venerable Garage mall into a six-story, mostly office building: The owner is waiting to find somebody who wants to lease a good chunk of the office space first, which is proving more difficult in these post-pandemic days.
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Comments
If they're waiting for the
If they're waiting for the office space market to recover, we can probably count on no change here for a few years at least.
There are always life
There are always life sciences.
Still not actually funny or
Still not actually funny or clever, but I'll give you this, this time it was at least vaguely related to the topic at hand.
Surprised it's lasted this long
Even back in the '70s it was an unwelcoming space. I never went there unless I had compelling reason to.
Unwelcoming?
I enjoyed it, as it was a shopping mall that didn't look or feel like any other shopping mall anywhere.
Cambridge Performance Center
In the 70s it housed the Cambridge Performance Center. Patti Smith (pre-fame), Roger McGuinn, Badfinger, Strawbs, Waylon Jennings, Captain Beefheart, Todd Rundgren & Utopia...all played there. That was a compelling reason to go. It only lasted about a year though, circa 1974.
I'm trying to remember the name of the record store that was in there in the mid-70s, long before Newbury Comics existed. It wasn't New England Music City or Discount Records, because they existed elsewhere in Harvard Square. And the Record Garage was across the street, though they sold musical instruments more than records.
Newbury Comics
Crazy Dough's, and Ben & Jerry's. A great triumvirate.
Crazy Dough was very good!
The potato and bacon slice was delicious.
And without Newbury Comics, the Square will have no place to buy new music. I know most people don't care, but it matters to those of us who buy vinyl and frequent the Square. I've been told by management, when they leave, they have no plan to look for another spot in Harvard Square.
There are currently 3 record
There are currently 3 record stores in Harvard Square. That seems like a good amount.
Put a dispensary in there and
Put a dispensary in there and watch the synergy fly.
Crazy Dough's has been gone
Crazy Dough's has been gone for years!
Has anything moved into the El Jefe's Taqueria space since they moved across the street?
Yes
There's a Dominican place, Las Palmas, in the old El Jefe. It is very adequate.
the garage
the public bathroom at the garage was a pit of despair. i walked in on people shooting up in it on multiple occasions over the years. i am sure the tourist families going to ben & jerry's loved seeing that side of Cambridge.
Like I always say
It's not a war on drugs until the poppy is eradicated. Get one of these African safari gun dipshits to kill all the plants. Tell them to pretend it's a defenseless giraffe.
Coffee Connection
One of the early Coffee Connection locations was here, and it lasted quite a few years longer as a Starbucks.