Cambridge Council Votes 8-0 to Rebid the Harvard Square KiOSK. The Visitor Count It Cited Was Five Times the Operator's Own

The Cambridge City Council voted 8-0 Monday, with one member absent, to order a review of how the Harvard Square KiOSK is run, setting up a new competitive bidding process for the former Out of Town News building, Cambridge Day reported.

Assistant City Manager Melissa Peters said the city plans to issue a request for proposals next summer, ahead of the December 2027 expiration of the current contract with CultureHouse, the Somerville-based nonprofit that operates the 500-square-foot space.

The debate

"I think what they do is good. I just don't think it's right for that spot," said Councillor Marc McGovern, the order's lead sponsor, according to Cambridge Day. Councillor Tim Flaherty said the KiOSK sometimes feels more like a museum than a gathering place and suggested events such as a citywide send-off rally for the Cambridge Rindge and Latin football team, which plays at Fenway Park on Thanksgiving.

Councillor Patty Nolan said the space appeared underused but asked whether surrounding construction, expected to finish before the end of the year, was partly responsible.

Two very different numbers

Councillor Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler, who delayed the vote Oct. 20 using his charter right, offered an amendment recognizing the KiOSK's cultural programming. It cited city-commissioned data indicating more than 250,000 visitors since the May 2025 reopening. Nolan asked how the figure was calculated, and Sobrinho-Wheeler said he did not know, Cambridge Day reported.

In an Oct. 9 email to Cambridge Day, CultureHouse KiOSK manager Cleo Brigham reported 47,500 visitors over the same period, roughly one-fifth of the figure in the amendment. The amendment passed 6-2, with McGovern and Councillor E. Denise Simmons opposed. An earlier version naming CultureHouse was dropped after city legal staff warned that singling out a bidder could invite challenges.

Next steps

The order directs City Manager Yi-An Huang to report back within 60 days on the current arrangement and long-term management options. Peters said the city will consult the KiOSK Committee, the Harvard Square Advisory Committee and neighborhood groups.

Brigham said in a statement that "there have been great successes and also times we fell short," and that clearer goals and the end of construction would help, Cambridge Day reported. Artists Eden Attar and Sage Voorhees, installing a free gift-exchange piece inside the KiOSK during the meeting, defended the space. "If you want a city to have art, you need a place for it to happen," Attar said.

Additional reporting

by Nathan MetcalfTuesday, November 3, 2026Wednesday, November 4, 2026 Artists Sage Voorhees (left) and Eden Attar inside the Harvard Square KiOSK beside a sign welcoming visitors to their Harvard Square Gift Shop. It is part of their “Convivial Infrastructure” installation exploring cooperation and sharing outside commercial transactions. Credit: Nathan Metcalf

As Cambridge city councillors debated the future of the Harvard Square KiOSK on Monday evening in Sullivan Chamber, CultureHouse KiOSK manager Cleo Brigham watched the meeting anxiously from inside the 500-square-foot building. Around her, two local artists prepared the latest installation in the historic former Out of Town News newsstand: a gift shop where nothing costs money and visitors are invited to exchange objects and the stories behind them.

The juxtaposition captured the competing visions for one of Harvard Square’s most prominent public spaces. While some councillors argued that the KiOSK needs to become a more vibrant gathering place, the artists working inside it defended CultureHouse’s management as a rare opportunity for community-based art in an increasingly expensive city.

The City Council ultimately voted 8-0, with one member absent, to approve a policy order calling for a review of the KiOSK’s operating model, setting the stage for a new competitive bidding process that could reshape how the space is used. Assistant City Manager Melissa Peters said the city plans to issue a new request for proposals next summer, ahead of the December 2027 expiration of CultureHouse’s current contract.

Councillor Patty Nolan acknowledged that the KiOSK appeared underutilized by her assessment, but questioned whether ongoing construction surrounding the space, expected to finish before the end of the year, was partly to blame. Councillor Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler, who delayed a vote on the policy order by exercising his charter right when it was first introduced Oct. 20, sought to soften its implications for CultureHouse with an amendment recognizing the cultural programming at the site since it reopened last year.

The amendment initially named CultureHouse and encouraged it to compete for the next contract, but that was removed after city legal staff warned that singling out an organization in a policy order concerning a future competitive bidding process could give unsuccessful applicants grounds to challenge the results.

The revised amendment recognized the KiOSK’s current cultural programming, citing city-commissioned data indicating that it had attracted more than 250,000 visitors since reopening in May 2025. Nolan questioned how that figure was calculated, and Sobrinho-Wheeler acknowledged that he did not know. In an Oct. 9 email to Cambridge Day, Brigham reported a substantially lower figure of 47,500 visitors since May 2025. The amendment passed 6-2, with McGovern and Councillor E. Denise Simmons opposed, before the council unanimously approved the policy order as amended.

What is still unknown

The city has not explained how the 250,000 figure was produced or why it differs so sharply from the operator's count.