"What really got the country and the city out of the depression was World War II," Boyer says. "The 40's and 50's were the heyday of Central Square."

Lined with popular shops and department stores, Central Square attracted people from all over the Boston area, making it Cambridge's downtown.

"People used to get dressed up just to go shopping," Boyer says. "It was a wonderful scene."

Longtime resident Nellie Banks recounted to Boyer her memories of the stores of Central Square.

"Central Square was something else," Banks said. "All those nice stores. Gorin's, Corcoran's, Harvard Bazaar, Enterprise. You could get most anything down there."

Immigration played a large role in the growth of Central Square, providing a cultural flavor for the area that still stands out today.

"Many storeowners were immigrants or the children of immigrants," Boyer says. "Central Square revolved around them."

Cambridge City Council member Kenneth E. Reeves '72 recounted his impressions of the cultural variety of Central Square, recalling his days shopping there as a Harvard student.