The five-foot-tall screen would project news, show videos of past and present activity in the Square, and broadcast special events like Harvard’s Commencement, DiGiovanni said. Other additions include tables and chairs, greenery, and bicycle racks.
City Manager Robert W. Healy said that it might be time for a refresher for the area but expressed hesitation about the ambitious plan’s cost.
“That’s a focal point of Harvard Square that needs some sprucing up,” he said. “I think it’s a nice project. My worry is, how do we finance it?”
Funds have not been allocated for refurbishing Sheldon Cohen Island in the current five-year capital planning, but Healy said he was interested in fine-tuning the design and exploring public-private partnerships to enable it.
TRANSFORMING THE PIT
Sheldon Cohen, a legendary presence who has been called the unofficial mayor of Harvard Square, sold the newsstand on the brick island that now bears his name to Hudson News in 1994 after 39 years manning the kiosk.
Hudson News decided not to renew its lease in 2008, but the stand found a new owner, Muckey’s Corp. When that company’s lease ends in 2013, the city could tear down the kiosk to make room for the new interactive glass-walled building depicted in the plan.
“The kiosk is really an icon of the Square. It’s a natural meeting place, and we all feel that there should be something that reflects that,” said Jeremiah P. Murphy ’73, president of the Coop and vice president of the HSBA.
The stand has long struggled to survive despite the decline of print media sales. Murphy said that converting the kiosk to an interactive information area with a wraparound news ticker would better serve the modern-day public.
As the main entrance to the MBTA station, Sheldon Cohen Island serves as a crossroads for tourists, students, and residents alike.
“It can create a cloud of social interactions,” said Laura E. Donohue ’85, the owner of Bob Slate Stationer on Brattle Street.
DiGiovanni said that he expects Harvard will be a partner in funding and envisioning any renovations, as it has been in the last 15 years of planning and construction spurred by “Polishing the Trophy.”
“Harvard is one of many stakeholders working together to maintain and enhance the unique character of Harvard Square,” Christine M. Heenan, Harvard’s vice president for public affairs and communications, wrote in an email. “Harvard looks forward to a being part of a very healthy partnership with city government, local residents, and the Harvard Square Business Association that care about Harvard Square.”
—Maya S. Jonas-Silver contributed to the reporting of this story.
—Staff writer Kerry M. Flynn can be reached at kflynn@college.harvard.edu.