Hall estimates the rent at an “extraordinary” $100 per square foot.

Despite the high price, Brainer says several corporations are currently interested, but they have yet to conclude any deals.

She suggests that they could choose to break the space into separate pieces to make rent more manageable.

Brainer says she also faults the economic slowdown for some of the delay in selling the One Brattle Square property.

“There’s been a large adjustment in the economy, and those kinds of uncertainties ripple through,” she says. “But now it’s kicking up again.”

Others in the business agree, although they say the Square was not hard-hit by recent economic troubles.

“There’s a perceived downturn, but I don’t know that there’s actually a decrease in the volume of sales in the Square,” says Roy Roberts of Milestone Associates, which represents the currently empty Mass. Ave. space.

He says the length of time it has taken to sell the space is a natural aspect of the business cycle.

“There is a natural rate of turnover,” he says. “I don’t think there’s any greater turnover now than at any other time.”

While they search for a tenant, the neighboring Harvard Book Store, which initially considered renting the space, has found a way to use the empty storefront.

“We had looked into renting the space for ourselves, but we couldn’t figure out how to divide our merchandise,” says Frank Kramer, the bookstore’s owner.

When the property still didn’t sell, Kramer says he thought of a way to put it to use—for free.

“After [Roberts] was having so much difficulty selling the space, I asked if we could display our books there. That way the neighborhood won’t look so stark and empty,” he says.

The benefits have been substantial, he says.

“It’s like having more bookshelves out in the street,” Kramer says. “People come in and ask for those specific books they’ve seen.”

—Staff writer Eugenia B. Schraa can be reached at schraa@fas.harvard.edu.