The Mass. Ave space that formerly housed an Adidas store (L), and the empty One Brattle Square storefront next to HMV Records (R).

For more than a year, three highly visible Harvard Square locations have remained vacant—the result, owners say, of a series of unfortunate coincidences and an attempt to keep national chains out of the Square.

Landlords of the Mount Auburn Street spot that used to house Ma Soba, the former home of Express on Brattle Square and Adidas’ former Mass. Ave. location say the search for new tenants has proven surprisingly difficult.

“We could have sold it 100 times over by now,” says Edward B. Reiss, a spokesperson for Harvard Planning and Real Estate (HPRE), which owns the former Ma Soba space on Mount Auburn Street. “But it has taken us a while to get it right.”

HPRE, which owns the expansive empty Mount Auburn spot, has had the luxury of waiting to find the most attractive tenant. Although Ma Soba moved out this summer, renovations are just now underway for a restaurant that is slated to open in a few months.

Reiss says disclosing the name of the restaurant would violate his contract, but says it “is not going to be a run-of-the-mill restaurant.”

“Harvard can afford to wait for the right concept, rather than take the first who can pay the rent,” says Shannah Hall, a local real estate agent. “They want things that are going to last.”

A number of fast food chains tried to get the space, Reiss says, but HRPE has a policy against selling to chains.

The one exception, Reiss says, came when HPRE sold a Mass. Ave. space to Au Bon Pain—which was the future chain’s first location.

HPRE also had a deal with a potential tenant that fell through about six months ago. According to Reiss, the tenant did not tell HPRE of plans to build a glass addition that would protrude into Mount Auburn Street public space until late in the negotiations.

Reiss says this addition would likely not have been approved by the city.

Financial Difficulties

The One Brattle Square space has had problems of its own. The sheer size of the space makes it unaffordable for most tenants, says Lynn Brainer of Fandell realtors, the firm representing the location.

The former tenants—the Express women’s shop and Structure men’s shop—moved out in the summer of 2000.

Although the space has remained empty since then, Anthony Hebron, spokesperson for Limited, Inc., which owns Express and Structure, says Limited, Inc. has continued paying rent although they chose to leave the space.

A new tenant was close to moving in six months ago but backed out at the last minute, Hebron says.