Petition Gains Speed and Nears 500 Signatures

Dear Signers of Petition to Landmark Harvard Square Kiosk, Thank you for your support. WE ARE NEARING 500 SIGNATURES TO LANDMARK THE HARVARD SQUARE KIOSK! We are up against powerful special interests, so we must stand up and spread the word. Please email, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, pick up the phone, speak to people in your communities. We'd like to REACH 1,000 SIGNATURES by next week in time for Cambridge City Council's next meeting. Some Key Points: -TIP OF THE ICEBERG: Treatment of Harvard Square Kiosk (public land) is indicative of far graver development plans ahead, including further "malling" and kicking out beloved, local businesses. Protecting the Kiosk NOW will be a firm affirmation of the public's right to our hard-earned land and assets. -STAND UP TO BIG DEVELOPMENT: Aggressive plans underway include converting historic building fabric into a suburban-style Shopping Mall in the heart of Harvard Square. Last night, Thursday Sept. 8, 2016, a packed Cambridge City Hall was filled with people resisting "Equity One" (NY Developer of Shopping Malls, owner of Barney's too) and their plans to convert "The World's Only Curious George Store" into an escalator lobby to a huge, block-long mall. OurHarvardSQ dug our heels in and said: NO, WE DON'T WANT ANOTHER CAMBRIDGESIDE GALLERIA FOR HISTORIC HARVARD SQUARE. Cambridge Historical Commission deferred making a ruling. This buys us time....for now. WE MUST STAND FIRM. -TONS OF PRESS is rolling out about the Petition, as well as the Harvard Square development debacle! Please check out below and on our website for more details: http://ourharvardsq.com/in-the-news/ Boston Globe, August 29, 2016 "Meanwhile, a local group [OUR HARVARD SQUARE!!] has formed to ensure that the architecture of the kiosk is preserved as it was built, with stricter regulations over any proposed changes..." https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2016/08/29/out-town-news-founder-heartbroken-over-its-potential-departure-from-harvard-square/uxNJdcO2PjZwty2u3gvyNL/story.html Curbed, September 6, 2016 "Under developer Equity One’s plans, a lobby, an elevator, and a stairwell would replace the Curious George store (its lease, and those of other retailers in the buildings, expires next year). The buildings—1-7 JFK Street and 18-20 Brattle Street—would then be linked to form that mall, which would have commercial space as well..." http://boston.curbed.com/2016/9/6/12798540/harvard-square-curious-george-project METRO BOSTON, September 6, 2016 Curious George Owner Hirsch reflects on threat of closure: "'I don’t view this as good guys and bad guys,” Hirsch added. 'It’s just interests, and it’s the city deciding what they want their city to be. I’m unfortunately a small player in all of this, and we don’t have much say about what happens.'” http://www.metro.us/boston/world-s-only-curious-george-store-could-close/zsJpif---eZrvYxDVygsk/ NECN, September 8, 2016 Check out Audrey Asistio's Video Report of Thursday Sept 8 public hearing (link included): "Cambridge Historical Commission is holding a Public Meeting to determine whether or not they should approve the remodel of a few businesses. And I can tell you, the room is packed with residents.. As we know, Harvard Square has seen a lot of changes. Some people are for it, some people say, 'ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.'" HEAR, HEAR! Warmest, OURHARVARDSQ in partnership with: -Harvard Square Defense Fund -Open Architecture Collaborative -The People's Republic of Cambridge and -Concerned Citizens everywhere -Curious George and Friends