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Harvard Square
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== Location == [[File:Harvard Square aerial 1.JPG|thumb|300px|left|Aerial view of the Mass Ave/Brattle Street junction, with Harvard Yard at the right, looking north]] The heart of Harvard Square is the junction of [[Massachusetts Avenue (Boston)|Massachusetts Avenue]] and [[Brattle Street (Cambridge, Massachusetts)|Brattle Street]]. Massachusetts Avenue enters from the southeast (a few miles after crossing the [[Charles River]] from Boston at [[MIT]]), and turns sharply to the north at the intersection, which is dominated by a large pedestrian space incorporating the current MBTA [[headhouse#Subways|subway headhouse]] (entrance), an older subway headhouse building which formerly housed a newsstand, a visitor information kiosk, and a small open-air performance space ("The Pit"). Brattle Street and John F. Kennedy Street merge from the southwest, joining Massachusetts Avenue at 1 Brattle Street, where another newsstand used to be located. The [[Harvard/MIT Cooperative Society]] main building forms the western streetwall at the intersection, along with a bank and some retail shops. ===Nearby places=== The walled enclosure of [[Harvard Yard]] is adjacent, with [[Harvard University]], [[Harvard Extension School]], [[Harvard Art Museum]]s, [[Harvard Semitic Museum|Semitic Museum]], [[Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology]], and [[Harvard Museum of Natural History|Museum of Natural History]] just short walks away. Other institutions in the general neighborhood include the [[Cambridge Public Library]], [[Lesley University]], the [[Longy School of Music]], the [[Episcopal Divinity School]], the [[Cambridge Rindge and Latin School]], [[American Repertory Theater]], the [[Cooper-Frost-Austin House]], the [[Hooper-Lee-Nichols House]], and the [[Longfellow House–Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site]]. The high pedestrian traffic makes Harvard Square and Brattle Square, a block away, a gathering place for street musicians and [[busker]]s. Singer-songwriter [[Tracy Chapman]], who attended nearby [[Tufts University]], is known to have played here during her college years. [[Amanda Palmer]], of [[the Dresden Dolls]], regularly performed here as a "[[living statue]]".<ref name=Lotman>{{cite book |last=Lotman |first=Mo |title=Harvard Square: An Illustrated History Since 1950 |year=2009 |publisher=Stewart, Tabori & Chang |location=New York |isbn=9781584797470|page=145}}</ref> Another frequent performer over the years has been indie rock guitarist [[Mary Lou Lord]]. The [[The Flying Karamazov Brothers|Flying Karamazov Brothers]] also performed regularly in Brattle Square.<ref>Justine Sutton, "Review: Flying Karamazov Brothers Take Act to New Heights", ''Noozhawk'', [https://www.noozhawk.com/noozhawk/print/102709_review_flying_karamazov_brothers_take_act_to_new_heights October 27, 2009]</ref> A small bronze statue of "Doo Doo,"<ref>{{cite web |date=2001-09-22 |title=Igor Fokin Memorial |url=http://igorfokin.com/memorial.html |access-date=2011-03-12 |publisher=Igorfokin.com}}</ref> a puppet created by [[Igor Fokin]], sits at the corner of Brattle Street and Eliot Street, in honor of Fokin and all the street performers.<ref>{{cite web |last=Show |first=Jim |title=The Igor Fokin Memorial Sculpture Project |url=http://www.igorfokin.com/memorial.html |work=Igor Fokin 1960-1996 |access-date=24 June 2013}}</ref> Fokin performed regularly in Brattle Square after immigrating from Russa and before his death. The statue is the work of [[Konstantin Simun]]. === Other features === {{More citations needed section|date=July 2011}} [[File:Dean Metrovich chess in Harvard Square Photo Steve Stepak 2007.JPG|thumb|Chess players in Harvard Square]]Until 1984, the [[Harvard (MBTA station)|Harvard Square stop]] was the northern terminus of the [[Red Line (MBTA)|Red Line]], and it still functions as a major transfer station between subway, bus, and [[Trolleybus|trackless trolley]]. Most of the bus lines serving the area from the north and west run through a tunnel adjacent to the subway tunnel. Originally built for [[Tram|streetcars]] (which last ran in 1958) and still used by trackless trolleys as well as ordinary buses, the tunnel lessens bus traffic in central Harvard Square, and lets buses cross the Square without encountering automobile traffic. The tunnel also allows covered access between the subway and the buses. At the center of the Square is the old [[Harvard Square Subway Kiosk]], which was home to the [[Out of Town News]] newsstand until its closure in 2020. A public motion art installation, ''[[Lumen Eclipse]]'', shows monthly exhibitions of local, national, and international artists. A number of public squares dot the surrounding streets, notably Brattle Square and Winthrop Square,<ref group="note">Brattle Square, Harvard Square, and Winthrop Square are at the three corners of the triangular block formed by Brattle Street, JFK Street, and Mt. Auburn Street – Brattle Square is at the triangular intersection of Brattle and Mt. Auburn, while Winthrop Square is at the southwest corner of Mt. Auburn and JFK.</ref> hosting a wide variety of street performers throughout the year. Brattle Street itself is home to the [[Brattle Theater]] (a non-profit [[Art film|arthouse theater]]) and the [[American Repertory Theater]]. The John F. Kennedy Memorial Park, one block further down JFK Street, is on the bank of the Charles River. [[Cambridge Common]] is two blocks north.
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