The City of Cambridge has proposed to relocate the Central Square branch of the Cambridge Public Library system from its current location on Pearl Street to a newly acquired building on Massachusetts Avenue, beside Cambridge City Hall. The relocation, motivated by dislike of the current “‘tricky’ and cramped” branch, has not been officially decided, though it has received widespread support from the community. The new location plans to offer similar amenities as the current address, providing community members with free Wi-Fi, technology, and activities, and yielding further convenience to public transport.
In response to the possibility of the Central Square library’s relocation, Cambridge residents hold hope in the opportunity of a new library that will serve the community better—a community space that boasts a larger and more aesthetically pleasing building. Eli Bartholomew ’26, mentioning a leading cause of the intended move, told the Register Forum, “The new location for the public library looks great, the current building is so unpleasant to be in, the lighting is awful!”
The move was originally suggested this past summer, though only recently did the Cambridge Public Library Foundation confirm the city’s intentions. After the City of Cambridge inherited ownership of 689 Massachusetts Avenue, it was suggested that the library be relocated to the spacious building. Until recently, a non-profit organization held possession of the early twentieth-century Beaux-Arts style building. The first floor of the property currently houses a Citizens Bank, and the remaining floors are utilized as office space. Following the city’s newfound possession of the building, Vice Mayor Alanna Mallon initially expressed to the Cambridge Day the possibility of a library in this location, going on to say, “This building seems like a great opportunity for some of the other things in Central Square that we say we always want—a new library space or art space.”
Despite the City of Cambridge’s agreement to repurpose the property as a library, the Cambridge Public Library Foundation faces adversities in receiving permission to occupy all three floors of the spacious building. In a newsletter, they informed the community that “A look at the usage numbers shows how crowded the current space is … and what a difference having three floors in the new space would make.”
As of the present, though, the City of Cambridge intends to continue utilizing the third floor as office space, hoping to combat a local shortage. Though residents persist, banding together to petition. Citizens currently argue that the addition of the third floor would “allow for [a] creative community” and would be vital in taking complete advantage of the opportunity for enhanced library offerings, but the city has yet to agree.
Central Square City Lots Study, an initiative promoting the revitalization of city-owned properties to benefit the local community, has expressed interest in the Pearl Street library. The initiative drives to create an increasingly responsive community, and prospects to turn the Central Square library into a community resource. Cambridge resident Paul O’Gorman highlights how many feel the library’s migration would benefit the already flourishing Area Four community, expressing to the Register Forum, “[The library] is worth moving if a better, bigger space is available.”
This article also appears in our March 2024 print edition.
