Carl Barron Plaza, lying in the heart of Central Square, is already under renovation to become a new area. These renovations are part of the city’s larger plan to reconstruct much of River Street. Designs for the renovations were initially shared in 2021, but construction only began in late 2023.
Two of the most prominent developments to the plaza will be a new MBTA bus station, alongside sheltered bike lanes, giving all commuters an easier path through the area. For bus riders, the new station will be better connected to the rest of the plaza, eliminating previously congested spaces. The station will also feature realtime digital information on buses, giving riders a more interactive experience. As for the bikers, the protected lanes will provide a safer path through what used to be a complicated and dangerous intersection.
Aside from commuting advancements, the plaza will provide the public with much needed water-bottle-filling stations, trash and recycling bins, public power, and USB outlets. Seating will be increased by 50%, while the number of trees will be doubled, contributing to a more welcoming area for people to enjoy the plaza.
Another feature of the renovations is “The Ribbon”: a long winding piece of metal stretching throughout the plaza, connecting each part, and displaying artwork that embodies the area.
Instead of designing the artwork that will be painted onto the “The Ribbon” themselves, the city decided to hold a contest to pick the artist who will design it. Artists had to submit an application consisting of their past artwork by July 2023 to be considered for the position. In the end, artist Sophy Tuttle was chosen—a Boston-based mural artist who incorporates nature into her artwork. The final designs for “The Ribbon” remain in the hands of Tuttle, who has been tasked with incorporating everything that Central Square embodies into the artwork.
In light of the renovations, it is important to consider the large unhoused population that congregates in the area. For many unhoused citizens, the benches of Carl Barron Plaza have long been a necessary spot to sit on, sleep on, or simply a place to talk to others.
Opponents of the 2021 remodeling plans, including many unhoused people, told the Cambridge Day, “[The plaza is a] place to go and interact and socialize with … friends and community members for free. There are very few places in Cambridge that allow us to do that.” They also commented on developments that they would like to see included in the renovations, including the Amazon pick-up doors opening inward, as well as stations to heat food, wash hands, and fill water bottles.
“Central Square is the vibrant heart of Cambridge and the city needs a public space that will bring everyone together,” MIT Professor and local John Ochsendorf told the Register Form. With the renovations still underway, only one thing remains certain: residents—housed and unhoused—of “the vibrant heart of Cambridge” will, as Mr. Ochsendorf put it, find a new feel to the plaza.
This article also appears in our June 2024 edition.
