CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Harvard Square's Out of Town News kiosk will soon be out of town for good.
The owners of the iconic news stand say they're not renewing their lease, so the landmark will close at the end of October.
Outside the stand Monday morning, one long-time patron named Steve was reading a newspaper, and learned about the closure by reading an article about it.
He told WBZ NewsRadio's James Rojas he's disappointed, and that it's part of a trend he's been seeing in the area.
"You can notice it, that there's vacant places for lease, because I guess maybe the rent is so high," he said.
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The city plans to turn the newspaper stand into another source of information—it will merge with the nearby information booth to create a welcome center.
Elizabeth, who works a few feet away in the information booth, said she can't remember a time the news stand wasn't there.
"It is kind of sad, a lot of the older businesses have been leaving," she said. "Urban Outfitters just left, that was here for 25 years, too. A lot of stores leaving, but it looks like with the Milk Bar coming in, and a new restaurant coming in there, hopefully it'll be revitalized."
Plans to renovate Harvard Square have been ongoing for years; a Harvard Square Kiosk and Plaza Working Group was formed in 2017 to re-envision the area, and released this video mock-up of their proposal:
"The Working Group envisions the Harvard Square Kiosk and Plaza to be flexible, dynamic, and welcoming community assets that enhance the everyday life of Harvard Square, act as platforms for community gatherings, including civic, artistic, and social activities, and attract and serve a broad range of people, including residents, students, visitors, etc," reads the group's vision statement on the Cambridge city website.
According to The Boston Globe, the kiosk itself was built in 1927-28, and served as an entrance to the subway.
WBZ NewsRadio's James Rojas (@JamesRojasWBZ) reports
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