Archives: Media Room

A line of customers stretched out the door of Pokeworks on Saturday for the Irvine, Calif.-based chain’s “grand opening” in Harvard Square.  Pokeworks serves its namesake Hawaiian dish in a rice bowl, burrito, or salad with either chicken, tofu, or one of five types of seafood. Its Harvard Square location opened in mid-March at 1440 Massachusetts Ave, amid a snowstorm.

THIS BIZARRE LITTLE BUILDING IN the middle of Cambridge holds a colorful history and houses one of the world’s longest-running humor magazines.  Sometimes referred to as the “Lampoon Castle,” it was built in 1909 by Edmund M. Wheelwright, who took inspiration from the local architecture of Jamestown, Virginia. From the front it bears an obvious resemblance to a human head wearing a Prussian helmet. As a result, it has drawn much criticism over the years. The comical nature of the building is fitting, for it serves as the headquarters for the Harvard Lampoon.

Black Sheep Bagel Cafe successfully earned a license from the Cambridge License Commission Tuesday, paving the way for the bagel eatery to officially open its doors at 56 JFK St. in Harvard Square.  Owners Shoshanah Garber and Manny Ramirez said they are excited their new cafe will soon come to Harvard. The two hope to work with student groups and organizations, Garber said.

Wholesome Fresh, a casual restaurant-convenience store hybrid that started in Rhode Island, opened its doors to Harvard Square Thursday morning in the property formerly occupied by Market in the Square.  This is Wholesome Fresh’s second location; it started in Newport, R.I. Britni M. Price, an employee at the new location, said she was optimistic about the new location, calling Harvard Square a “gold mine.” She noted that this store is bigger than the one in Rhode Island.

The Cambridge City Council passed an order urging billionaire developer Gerald L. Chan to publicly release a schedule for the development of the long-deserted Harvard Square Theater at a Council meeting Monday.  Vice Mayor Jan Devereux and Cambridge City Councillor Dennis J. Carlone sponsored the legislation. The order is largely symbolic and has no power to force Chan’s hand.

Joseph Bartley, who died on March 5 in Andover at the age of 87, is being remembered for his humor and warmth, and for growing an iconic Harvard Square business — Mr. Bartley’s Burger Cottage — from the ground up. 

He and his wife, Joan, purchased Harvard Spa, a hole-in-the-wall convenience store on Massachusetts Avenue across from Harvard University, in 1960. The shop became the springboard for the hamburger joint that would serve Harvard presidents, students, shop clerks, tourists, politicos and international celebrities for the next five decades.

November 20, 2017

Following a year of uncertainty, The World’s Only Curious George Store is poised to keep its spot in Harvard Square for the long haul.  The iconic Cambridge toy shop announced Monday that it had agreed to an updated lease with its building’s redeveloper that would more or less secure its current location in the Abbot Building on the corner of JFK and Brattle streets for the foreseeable future. The Abbot and two other Harvard Square buildings are set for a sweeping redesign led by real estate firm Regency Centers. The project had threatened the Curious George Store’s long-term standing in the area.

The assessed value of property in Harvard Square nearly doubled between fiscal years 2012 and 2017, an explosive growth that has contributed to rising rising rents and high turnover among Square businesses.  According to data collected by the City of Cambridge, assessed property values in Harvard Square rose from $1.8 billion in fiscal year 2012 to $3.2 billion in fiscal year 2017. And as property values rise, so do rent rates, according to Michael H. Shuman, an expert on community economics, a trend he said poses problems for local retailers.

Nearly six months after the debut of the Boston Calling music festival’s new location across the Charles River in Allston, Cambridge residents remain concerned that festival organizers will be unable to avoid repeating last year’s noise issues that led to an unbearable three-day weekend for many along Memorial Drive last May.  Despite complaints and meetings, the show is slated to return in 2018 and there’s no easy fix in sight.