The result is that defenders of Harvard Square have had to tread a fine line.

Too much regulation could freeze Harvard Square into an outdated mold, but some regulation is necessary to stop it from turning into a generic Anytown, U.S.A.

The conservation district solution appears to have provided an answer which satisfies both business owners who hope to preserve their development options and community members who are attached to the recognizable aspects of the Square.

Protecting the Square

In 1995, the redevelopment of the Read Block--which now houses Pacific Sunware and Abercrombie and Fitch--caused neighborhood outcry, leading to the formation of Kline's organization, Friends of Harvard Square, and prompting the City Council to explore the possibility of creating a Harvard Square Historic District.

Like a conservation district, a historic district gives city appointees certain powers over area development. But while the authority of conservation districts comes out of a city ordinance, historic districts are under the auspices of state statute.

The Historic District Study Committee--strongly supported by then-mayor Francis H. Duehay '55--met 52 times in less than three years. But when its proposal for a Harvard Square Historic District came before the City Council last June, it was flat-out rejected.

The Council worried about the bureaucratic nature of the state statute which mandates that even minor building changes be approved by the entire historic district commission. It also considered property owners concerns that private anti-development groups--such as the Harvard Square Defense Fund (HSDF).--would have too much power under the historic district code.