Lesley has ended its plan to relocate restaurants into a more prominent location at street corner
Food court diners in University Hall near Cambridge’s Porter Square on July 11, 2022. (Photo: Marc Levy)
A plan for Lesley University’s languishing University Hall in Porter Square was quietly overturned this summer, and now a Tuesday statement says the future of at least one of its prominent, long-empty storefronts won’t be known until the spring.
Owners of the food court restaurants inside the 1815 Massachusetts Ave. building – a former Sears owned by Lesley that is often still called the Porter Exchange – said in July 2022 that designers working for the university were measuring them for a move into a street corner location that was once a Shaking Crab restaurant. It opened in late 2017 and was closed by the Covid pandemic, and has been empty since – along with a former urgent care clinic, bank branch and Bourbon Coffee shop.
That plan was confirmed in a June 23 interview with Lesley president Janet Steinmayer, who said the relocation has been happening but had been slowed by engineering complications such as 3-feet walls that Sears adopted for construction after Chicago fires.
“I won’t bore you with all of the technical difficulties, but it’s just been much more complicated [than expected] to figure out how to create the space,” Steinmayer said. “The move into the Shaking Crab space is dependent on a fair amount of highly technical work.”
The relocation of the eateries was to make room for a concierge desk for students and a gallery for the sale of art by students and alumni.
Less than a month after Steinmayer’s statement, a sales brochure for the site from the Graffito leasing firm showed that there were three retail spaces available along Massachusetts Avenue – 1,781 square feet that was Bourbon Coffee; 4,401 square feet of former Webster Bank; and 2,000 square feet of ex-Partners urgent care clinic – but with all existing food stalls staying in place and the Shaking Crab location still identified as a “full-service restaurant.”
A leasing brochure map of University Hall from July 18.
Lesley was asked immediately for clarification on the July 18 brochure.
As the weeks passed, requests for information were renewed as to what it meant that the sales pitch to prospective tenants showed the layout of University Hall staying the same.
Sixty-four days later, Lesley released a statement confirming that it wasn’t relocating the restaurants:
“Lesley University is considering a number of options for the space formerly occupied by the Shaking Crab,” it said. “We do expect to have some information on the former Shaking Crab space in the spring. In the meantime, please step inside and visit our current restaurants.”
University Hall is still adding amenities for students to become a one-stop location for such needs as information technology, advising and registration. The art gallery is also still coming, the school said, “and a creative and collaborative space for faculty and students, and a co-working space for alumni.”
Empty storefronts have been a longtime complaint of residents in the area, and Lesley’s block of largely dead space has drawn attention. Author Michael Moscariello complained online Sept. 1 of sites that “sit around being untouched and empty like Shaking Crab (why is the sign still lit up?!), the urgent care, Bank of America, city bank, Bourbon coffee, as well? This is my neck of the town, and we need people to move in to those places!”
Don’t worry once the plastic pylons are fully erected all the businesses will flock to all the vacant properties. We all know from the bogus statistics bicyclists love to spend lots of money at establishments.
Heck look what’s happened already! But don’t believe your own eyes.
Ps my new buddy slaw says they are great for parking and delivering things. Hopefully there are small business there or else there’s literally no small bus to deliver to. Whoopsie
“Businesses that have been closed for years before the bike lanes went in are proof that bike lanes hurt business” is a hell of thing to try to claim.
The evidence that actually exists is clear that bike lanes support businesses. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-12-08/for-store-owners-bike-lanes-boost-the-bottom-line
The only ones with bogus statistics are those claiming against all evidence that bike lanes harm them.
BTW this building has a massive parking lot in the back and loading is supposed to be done there as well. There is literally nothing supporting your implication that the bike lane here interferes with deliveries. The long term plan for protected bike lanes also includes dedicated loading space so, as I said elsewhere, like most other bike projects it will actually make deliveries easier as they will no longer have to compete with parking of personal vehicles when delivering to the other businesses that don’t have rear loading areas.
The bicycle was invented early 1800s. I’m glad to know you advocate for progress!
If the 500m dollars was used towards public transportation for all it could have provided a greater benefit for the broader community.
The lanes have clearly increased traffic congestion and pollution. They have not helped local small businesses on mass Ave.
Yes think of the plastic pylons as stakes into small businesses hearts. When they go up it’s one stake after another to small cos.
Who cares anyway we can all just buy from Amazon and have slaw drop em off!
“The lanes have clearly increased traffic congestion and pollution. They have not helped local small businesses on mass Ave.”
All Actual evidence contradicts this so until you can provide even a shred of evidence, your claims that “the plastic pylons as stakes into small businesses hearts.” Are completely hyperbolic and baseless. Find real problems.
Also BTW the hot new thing isn’t always better and bikes and public transit are mutually supporting when even slightly coordinated.
Did you read the article?
“the urgent care, Bank of America, city bank, Bourbon coffee” all empty! Wait till the stakes are driven in – I’m sure they’ll all be occupied and bustling with the bikers. 😂
Reject the evidence with your eyes. It was their final, most essential command.
Ok slaw they are all full with new tenants. Prospective ones are fighting over the remaining vacancies. Traffic has improved, pollution is down and you deliver packages. lmao.
I addressed this already: “‘Businesses that have been closed for years before the bike lanes went in are proof that bike lanes hurt business’ is a hell of thing to try to claim.”
These businesses closed because of covid. All were closed before the separated bike lane was put in on the block last summer. Because Lesley was considering a reorganization of the space they have not actively sought new tenants. But sure is convenient to blame the bike lane when you have an ax to grind and don’t care about honesty.
I for one also won’t mourn the loss of 2 banks in a space like this which should have far more active use. Bankification of main streets is a serious problem on our main streets in the Boston area.