Grafton Street in particular was a central feature of Square nightlife, and many students continue to bemoan its loss, which compounds last year’s departure of the Bow and Arrow and the suspension of the Crimson Sports Grille’s liquor license.

The popular upscale bar and restaurant had piggybacked onto the lease held by One Potato, Two Potato, the restaurant which had previously occupied the space. The lease had slightly more than four years remaining on it at the time of signing, however, and their landlord chose not to extend it.

Grafton Street closed its doors last month, swamped during its final days by hordes of sympathetic customers who formed long lines outside to wait for a last chance at seating.

Life goes on, however, and for O’Hare at least, there is hope for students in the years to come.

“I’m sure there will be still enough places to make Harvard a fun place to go to school,” he said.

Grafton Street hopes to re-open in time for next semester, in the former location of the Bow and Arrow. Its former Mass. Ave. space will be taken over, at least partially, by neighboring Bob Slate’s Stationary, which is itself being displaced by the Cambridgeport Savings Bank.

Across from the River Houses on Mt. Auburn Street, also at the top of the Square, Daedalus has recently opened its doors, offering an elegant, upscale menu, and a glimmer of hope for Square nightlife.

The bar’s co-owners, brothers Brendan and Lawrence Hopkins, are both former Grafton Street bartenders, and say they took some lessons away from Grafton’s hard-knocks education.

“They offered us a 10-year lease, but we didn’t want to get into anything under 15 years,” Lawrence says.

The brothers walked away with a 16-year lease, which will be renegotiated in eight years, and expect to serve the class of 2001 at their 15-year reunion.

“One thing we’ve learned is you don’t take anything on word of mouth,” Lawrence says.

Please Go Away Often

On the street and behind the storefronts, the feeling that the Square is in the midst of a quiet battle for its soul is increasing, and while the scales seem tipped against local businesses and the unique character they afford, Square partisans are far from ready to give up, nor are they of one mind on the issue.

One camp tends towards the conspiratorial, seeing big business as an active, purposeful enemy of the Square and its culture.