Harvard Square Kiosk to Return as Visitor Center, Cultural Space

The future of the long-dormant Harvard Square Kiosk is at last beginning to take shape.

The City of Cambridge announced Thursday that the kiosk, an iconic Cambridge landmark which has languished under years of slow-moving renovations, will serve as a dual “community gathering space and information center” when it reopens in early 2025.

The project was resumed last month after several delays as a result of the pandemic and its subsequent supply chain issues. The new space — now called the “Cambridge Kiosk” — will bring together Cambridge’s Office for Tourism with Culturehouse, a Somerville-based nonprofit that helps towns enliven underused properties by turning them into public space.

But the renovated kiosk will not involve the reopening of Out of Town News — a stand in the kiosk that sold newspapers from around the world until its recent closing in 2019. The newsstand, a Harvard Square staple, was on the National Register of Historic Places.

In a Thursday press release, Cambridge Department of Public Works Commissioner Kathy Watkins said the Cambridge Kiosk will aim to maintain its nearly 100-year history of meeting the “needs of its community” — though it remains unclear exactly what services or opportunities the kiosk will offer.

Robyn Culbertson, executive director of the Cambridge’s Office for Tourism, emphasized the team’s dedication to “enhancing the Cambridge experience,” in the press release.

The Cambridge’s Office for Tourism and Culturehouse said they would spend time engaging businesses, “local talent,” and others in the area using surveys to help establish how exactly to make use of the new space.

To promote local involvement in the project’s development, city residents can also apply to join The Cambridge Kiosk Advisory Committee, which will oversee the cultural uses of the space. Local artists and businesses can also become programming partners, through which they can plan events and activities for the kiosk once it reopens.

Culbertson said the kiosk’s staff will “continue to assist visitors with navigating the city and discovering its vibrant cultural scene,” like offering dining recommendations or information about Cambridge’s major attractions.

During the renovations, those visitor services, which were also offered at the old kiosk, have been relocated to the first floor of Cambridge Savings Bank.

In the press release, Watkins added that the project will prioritize preserving the kiosk’s historic architectural details through the renovations, which she said are “led by a dedicated team of architects, engineers and historians.”

“I encourage visitors to the Cambridge Kiosk to take a moment to look up at the details of the roof, the interior wood ceiling and the brick columns that have been painstakingly restored, and the modern windows, open entrances, and cabinetry that were thoughtfully designed to complement the historic elements,” Watkins said.

“I hope you can get a sense of the attention that went into the design and construction of the building, as well as all of the history and texture contained within,” she added.

—Staff writer Jack R. Trapanick can be reached at jack.trapanick@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @jackrtrapanick.

—Staff writer Grace E. Yoon can be reached at grace.yoon@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @graceunkyoon.