Squares Squared

I was skeptical of my task at first: I was to seek out smaller squares within Harvard Square. One Square holds so many tourists as is—is it necessary to create more backgrounds for vacation photographs? Nevertheless, I set out on my trek, in search of three square locations provided by Google Maps.

The first stop on my journey was General MacArthur Square (1), a familiar sight for residents of Straus, Matthews, and Massachusetts Hall or devotees of Liquiteria. Essentially a glorified traffic island, this square hosts a statue, giving it a leg up in the hierarchy of sub-squares. Inexplicably, the statue doesn’t depict General Douglas MacArthur, but rather Charles Sumner, an 1830 Harvard alum and senator famous for being caned by fellow senator Preston Brooks. He’s looking better now.

After the first stop on my journey, I was already perplexed—but I had to forge ahead. Brattle Square (2) was next on my list, abutting Felipe’s and Brattle Square Florist. My search for a “Brattle Square” sign was fruitless, but I did discover a plaque recognizing the brick area as “Joseph A. Deguglielmo Plaza.” The area that I expected to be Brattle Square was dedicated to a former mayor of Cambridge, so I resigned myself to the fact that Brattle Square was more a mindset than a location and pushed onwards.

The last location that Google Maps suggested was Winthrop Square (3), situated near Peet’s Coffee. I wandered around the grassy lawn and sidewalk until I discovered it: a literal square of laid brick tucked between Peet’s Coffee and Parsnip, flanked by two columns helpfully labeling it as “Winthrop Square, 1999.” The square’s only inhabitants were several piles of dead leaves. Standing between the columns, I heard a howling sound that I can only assume was the ghost of John Winthrop, perhaps, his less-successful second cousin for whom the square is named.

Having exhausted my Google Maps-given clues, I was left directionless. But lo and behold—at the corner of Eliot St. and JFK St., I found the inimitable Sue Williamson Square, a street corner marked by a tall black sign. Research later revealed that Williamson was a longtime employee of the Kennedy School—but maybe not important enough for a bona fide park bench.

Still, I was newly energized. If squares could simply be street corners, there were endless squares to be

found. Squares within squares! I continued wandering towards the River Houses, eyes peeled for the telltale black sign.

As I crossed JFK onto Memorial Dr., my heart surged. I had spotted my fifth square outside of the square, memorializing Scott Harshberger, former district attorney. I continued forward with urgency, not just because dusk was swiftly approaching, but because I had realized that spotting squares had become my Pokemon Go. There were so many squares and so little time. I had to catch them all.

At the intersection of Grant St. and Dewolfe St., I found Lt. Col. James C. Brennan Square, and here my linear path ended. In a wild zigzag, I traversed Mt. Auburn St. and Bow St. on my way back to the Yard and discovered four more squares: Bishop John Boles Square, Robert W. Taylor Jr. Square, David L. Halberstam Square, and Louisa Solano Square. A fifth, Ben Olken Square, rested at the corner of Bow St. and Mass Ave.

The final square of my journey is situated in front of The Winn. Quincy Square is home to several well-manicured plots of land and some artistically placed stones, and is dedicated to Josiah Quincy, who apparently wasn’t satisfied with just having a namesake house.

Over the course of my brief excursion, I discovered 12 squares within Harvard Square. Why are there so many? It could be due to the City of Cambridge’s incessant need to memorialize more and more of its famous inhabitants. Will the entire city someday be nothing but squares? If so, I suspect there are more squares out there, waiting to be discovered by the adventurous reader.