"We are required to make sure that any buildingis a profitable activity," Goddard said. "Our mainconcern is that we would have good-credit tenantsafter paying for the renovation of the building."
Cox said that the effort and money expended onthe project will show in the new facade.
"We have put a lot of effort into restoring itto the original look and to fit it in with thehistory of the Square," she said. The buildingwill look old on the outside, although the insidewill be anchored in the '90s.
Despite losing the Tasty, CSB has assented tothe community's desire for preservation of thebuilding's turn-of-the-century facade. Thebuilding's tenants, though, are a disappointmentto some.
"We begged them to try and find some localentrepreneurs that wanted to be in Cambridge. We'dhoped for small tenants, but [the bank] wants abig anchor and [Abercrombie and Fitch] can pay bigbucks," said G. Pebble Gifford, president of theHarvard Square Defense Fund.
Gifford was particularly critical of PacificSunwear, which she says "sounds about asappropriate for Harvard Square as Las Vegasgambling."
Several Cambridge business leaders do not sharecommunity leaders' concerns about the presence ofchains in the Square.
"I don't have this fear that chains are goingto come in and take over Harvard Square," Sudholzsays. "There is a real myth that Harvard Square isgoing to become one big mall."
The Little Guy
BankBoston is still deciding the fate of theformer Coop building, which it reclaimed lastyear. The building is across Mass. Ave from CSB,but is not nearly as old or in need of repairs.
The bank will occupy part of the space with ATMmachines, which are currently at a premium in theSquare.
The Harvard Square branch of BankBoston is thesecond busiest bank in the nation, following theCitibank in Grand Central Station, in New YorkCity, according to Edward L. Robertson II,BankBoston's regional president.
Robertson added that the branch's ten machinesprocess about 2.4 million transactions each year,well above industry norms. The heavy usage causesthe machines to break more frequently, leavingcustomers waiting in line.
BankBoston is eager to avoid a fiasco similarto Cambridge Savings Bank, which haggled over itsproposed renovations for years.
"We understand [the CSB undertaking] was amajor mistake," Robertson said.
To avoid the conflict with local leaders,Robertson said the bank will search for smallerlocal tenants and will carefully examine thecommunity's retail needs.
"Change is inevitable, we just want to managethe change in a way that is practicable," saysRobertson. "The Gap is a chain that I thinkoperates fairly unobtrusively in Harvard Square.We want to do the right thing."
Because of a host of laws regarding foodestablishments, both community and businessrepresentatives said that the likelihood ofMcDonalds or another fast food eatery coming tothe Square is slim.