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Could an abandoned train tunnel below Harvard Square be revived for events? Some say it's worth a look
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Pop in your headphones and listen to our critics' roundup of the best local music released this month. But first, let's get through the news:
Tunnel vision: With limited opportunities to build up or out, some civic leaders in Harvard Square are looking to build down. Earlier this month, the Cambridge City Council advanced a plan to study the possibility of creating an entertainment venue in an MBTA tunnel that's been abandoned for 40 years. While the idea sounds outlandish, "it would be equally sort of insane not to take a look at what the potential is," Denise Jillson, the executive director of the Harvard Square Business Association, told WBUR's Amy Sokolow. "It could be an important asset to Harvard Square that's been sitting fallow."
- Where is it? The tunnel dates back to the T's pre-Red Line extension days, when trains terminated and turned around at Harvard Square. According to Jillson, who's been in the tunnel herself, it runs underground from Brattle Square to the Harvard Kennedy School: " If you are on Elliot Street in front of like the Harvard Square Hotel or Charlie's Kitchen, the tunnel would be directly under your feet."
- Zoom in: Jillson says the tunnel has 22-foot-high arched ceilings, good acoustics and is relatively "pristine." They're hoping to get an engineering firm to test its structural integrity, air quality and other logistics. "You could envision a conference in the morning, a TED Talk in the afternoon and a concert in the evening," she said. (Click here to see their renderings of what it could look like.)
- Zoom out: It wouldn't be the first abandoned subterranean space to be revived as an events space. Jillson's group takes inspiration from other cities, like Washington, D.C.'s Dupont Underground and London's Bankside Vaults.
- The catch: While City Council approved $72,000 in funding to put out a request for proposals, Cambridge City Manager Yi-An Huang is leery about the costs of the feasibility study itself (not to mention any renovations). As Cambridge Day reported last week, Huang estimates an engineering firm could charge up to $1 million, and “who would fund that is unanswered.”
- What's next: Jillson predicts it's "easily" a five-to-six-year project. Her group plans to spend the coming year working with the MBTA, which still owns the tunnel, on an agreement to access the space for the potential study.
Meanwhile at Harvard: The Trump administration moved yesterday to cancel the remaining $100 million worth of federal contracts the government has with Harvard. According to the Associated Press, the contracts include training for Department of Homeland Security officials, research on health outcomes related to energy drinks and a contract for graduate student research services. That's on top of the more than $2 billion in funding the Trump administration moved to terminate earlier.
- Harvard is already suing to block the funding freeze, arguing this is a retaliatory attempt by Trump to interfere with its academic freedom.
Motion denied: The Supreme Court rejected an appeal yesterday from a middle school student in Massachusetts who was barred from wearing a shirt proclaiming there are only "two genders." In a 7-2 ruling, the court decided to let stand a lower court ruling that said it was reasonable for school leaders in Middleborough to prohibit the shirt because of its potential to disrupt the learning environment, and negatively impact transgender and gender-nonconforming students.
- Meanwhile in court: A federal judge has struck down a class-action lawsuit in Massachusetts against an educational publisher over what the plaintiffs claimed is a discredited approach to teaching reading. However, for decades, courts have ruled educational malpractice is difficult to prove.
Heads up: Expect to see picketers outside UMass Memorial Health today. A union that represents more than 1,000 workers at the Worcester hospital is threatening to go on strike as soon as next month over wages and alleged job outsourcing. UFCW Local 1445 — which includes housekeepers, food service workers, surgical technicians and lab staff — says it could strike when its contract ends June 8. (A hospital spokesperson said it's working with the union in good faith to reach a deal.)
P.S.— With the Michelin Guide expected to include Boston in its Northeast Cities edition this fall, we asked two of the city's most competitive chefs to make some predictions about which restaurants could earn a star. But we also want to hear from you. Which Greater Boston restaurant do you think deserves a Michelin star? Tell us using this form.
