Hidden Harvard Square Tunnel Could Become Region’s Hottest New Music Space

Lurking beneath Harvard Square, an abandoned tunnel might just be the setting for an unorthodox new music venue that could bring new life to Boston's entertainment scene.

Located 20 feet below ground, a vacant MBTA tunnel is being seen by several as a potential new live events and music venue.

The tunnel runs between Brattle Square and the Kennedy School. According to The Boston Globe, one section is currently used by the T for storage, exhaust ducts, and a high-voltage power station. A long straightaway under Eliot Street is not being used at all.

Denise Jillson, executive director of the Harvard Square Business Association, and real estate mogul John DiGiovanni said the vastness of the unused portion of the space, about 300 feet long, 22 feet high, and 58 across at its widest point, opens several possibilities for entertainment uses. 

While converting the former tunnel into a state-of-the-art event space is an engineering and logistical feat in itself, DiGiovanni and Jillson believe that turning the unused portion of the inactive tunnel complex into something useful is too good of an opportunity to ignore in an area they feel deserves more live events to attract visitors.

“It would be preposterous for me to say, ‘Dig a tunnel under these streets and create a venue.' But it's equally preposterous that you wouldn't study how you can transform this one,” DiGiovanni said to The Boston Globe. “It's already excavated!”

Cambridge is already starting to explore the feasibility of transforming the tunnel. Earlier in May, the Cambridge City Council voted in favor of allocating $72,000 to obtain a formal estimate for an engineering study.

Who will pay for the study isn't the only question being asked. Since the MBTA still owns the tunnel, Cambridge leaders have expressed concern about investing large amounts of money into the idea without specific endosements from the T or other private investors.