Our popular Cambridge Visitor Information Center is reopening with a new location in Harvard Square! Staffed by a dedicated group of senior volunteers for more than a quarter century, and managed by our office, the tiny but highly trafficked booth closed March 13, 2020 due to the onslaught of the pandemic. We’re excited to announce that Cambridge is ready to welcome guests in a new Visitor Information Center space graciously provided by Cambridge Savings Bank.
“This opportunity created by the Cambridge Savings Bank is an absolutely perfect solution to the city’s tourism needs” shared Executive Director Robyn Culbertson. “The former Cambridge Visitor Information Booth has always played an integral role and is often the first point of welcome for visitors to the city. The new facilities will offer an indoor space where the staff can answer questions and offer guidance with more personal interaction. Through the efforts of Kathy Watkins from the City of Cambridge, Denise Jillson of HSBA (Harvard Square Business Association) and Dan Fraine of Cambridge Savings Bank, we proved once again that it truly does take a village. We are blessed with a creative and generous village here in Cambridge.”
The planned reopening of the Cambridge Visitor Information Center at 1374 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge will be mid-April, in time for the influx of visitors expected for the Boston Marathon and warmer spring weather. Our new location is on the ground floor of the Cambridge Savings Bank in Harvard Square, adjacent to the original location of the Cambridge Visitor Information Booth. Robyn anticipates that this spring and summer will see a high volume of visitors eager to experience all that Cambridge has to offer. “We see it in the inquiries to our office and we hear it from Cambridge businesses; there is renewed energy and interest to reconnect and recharge with one another.”
The Cambridge Visitor Information Booth has long been a landmark in the heart of Harvard Square. Hundreds of residents and visitors alike support the booth, stopping by for the latest news of Cambridge events, services and amenities. Need to know where to find live music or the latest in performance art? A recommendation for lunch, dinner or brunch? Looking for Harvard’s famous glass flowers exhibit, or where to purchase fresh flowers for a friend? Cambridge Visitor Information Center volunteers are always ready with maps, guides and answers. Now the tradition continues in the new Cambridge Visitor Information Center.
Construction is ongoing at the original kiosk and is slated to open as the permanent Cambridge Visitor Information Center in Spring 2023. Built in 1928 as the new main headhouse (entrance building) for the previously-opened Harvard Square subway station, the kiosk is perhaps best known as the former location for Out of Town News. The legendary newsstand opened in Harvard Square in 1955 and occupied the kiosk from 1984-2019. In 2019 the City of Cambridge, which owns the structure, decided to convert the space to public use.
The historic kiosk is currently being meticulously renovated to restore the impactful structure to its original condition, with modern amenities and technology. After many community meetings and discussions about the building’s design and utilization, the kiosk will be the permanent new home of the Cambridge Visitor Information Center.
We’re thrilled to be in the new Visitor Information Center; we hope to see you in Cambridge soon!
