"The Pit" has been demolished. Renderings show what's next for Harvard Square.
A longtime landmark in Harvard Square is gone. "The Pit" has been demolished as part of a years-long effort to revamp the area in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The stone and brick seating area adjacent to the Red Line MBTA station served as a gathering spot for decades, but now it's nothing more than dirt, rocks and mud.
In 2017, the city started an $8.6 million project to reimagine and reconstruct the Harvard Square Kiosk and plaza.
The kiosk, previously built as an entrance to the subway station in 1927, became the Out of Town News stand in 1983. It was known for selling newspapers and magazines from around the world before the business closed in 2019.
Harvard Square kiosk construction delays
The area became an eyesore, fenced in and blocked off from the public for years. The city attributed delays to COVID and work done to preserve the landmark kiosk building. Now the expectation is that a renovated kiosk will open sometime in the next few months.
"The interior of the Kiosk would function as a flexible space accommodating permanent and temporary community uses," planners say. "Permanent uses would feature a Visitor Information Center with displays focused on Cambridge history and happenings and the provision of news, brochures, and other materials."
Harvard Square plaza renovations
As for the rest of the plaza, renderings show there wouldn't be a circular "pit" anymore.
A project report envisions the plaza as a place for "informal social seating and community gathering," and also as a temporary use spot for performances, art installations, family friendly activities, outdoor markets and demonstrations.
It's estimated that it could take as much as two more years to finish the construction work.
