Harvard Book Store's New Branch: Coming in 2023

Boston, MA, November 14, 2022. We’re building something really special here in Boston’s Prudential Center. If you've strolled through the Prudential Center arcade lately, just off Huntington Ave., you've discovered a splendidly oversized bookshelf—a "prologue" to the Prudential Center project we announced in July. This second location for Harvard Book Store is expected to open late in 2023.

Stay tuned to our email newsletter for updates on our next chapter!

Harvard Book Store to Open New Branch in Boston’s Prudential Center

Boston, MA, July 14, 2022. Harvard Book Store announced today it will be opening a new store in Boston’s Prudential Center in the Spring of 2023. The new location will contain a wide selection of books, a state-of-the-art event space, a large children’s book section, and vibrant community spaces. The store will operate under a long-term lease with Boston Properties (BXP), owner of Prudential Center, and will be located in the space previously occupied by Barnes and Noble.

Jeff Mayersohn, co-owner of Harvard Book Store, said, “We are delighted to bring Harvard Book Store to the City of Boston, while continuing our long tradition of bookselling at our flagship Cambridge location. This is an ambitious project and we think we’ve established an excellent team to bring it to fruition. We envision it as an important addition to the literary life in the city and a welcoming space serving the many communities of Boston. We thank John and Linda Henry, whose recent investment in our company enables us to expand in this way.”

Bryan Koop, Executive Vice President of Boston Properties for the Boston Region, said, “We look forward to welcoming Harvard Book Store to Prudential Center. We are particularly excited about providing another home for the bookstore’s award-winning event series, which will attract many thousands of visitors annually."

The new store will occupy over 29,000 square feet in Boston’s Back Bay. Project consultants include the design collaborative Bergmeyer, Colliers Project Leaders, and the construction management firm Gilbane Building Company.

Harvard Book Store is an independent bookstore located in Harvard Square and founded in 1932, celebrated for its inventory and curation—a blend of academic and general interest titles. The store is also renowned for its author event series, hosting hundreds of book talks and signings annually, and has been recognized over the years as Boston magazine's "Best Bookstore" (2014), "Best Literary Series" (2017, 2018), "Best Neighborhood Shop" (2019), “Best Virtual Author Series” (2020, 2021), and “Best Old-School Bookstore” (2022). Harvard Book Store is owned by Jeff Mayersohn and Linda Seamonson, who bought the store in 2008, and John W. Henry—principal owner of the Boston Globe and the Boston Red Sox, among other holdings—who joined the ownership group last December.

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Harvard Book Store
1256 Massachusetts Ave Cambridge, MA 02138
www.harvard.com | info@harvard.com

Dear Harvard Book Store Customers,

Today, Harvard Book Store announced the beginning of a new chapter in our 90-year history. We are building a second store, at the Prudential Center in Boston, in the space formerly occupied by Barnes and Noble. Toward this end, we have signed a long-term lease with Boston Properties, owner of the Prudential Center. We have not yet announced all of the details, but we look forward to sharing these with you in the very near future.

This is quite an ambitious project. The new store will comprise nearly 30,000 square feet, a space approximately five times the size of our Cambridge store. The additional space will allow us to do things that we can’t accomplish in Cambridge. For example, there will be a large section dedicated to children’s literature. There will also be a state-of-the-art event space that will host events for our award-winning speaker series and will also be available for community activities such as classes, lectures, and meetings. The new store is being designed as a warm, welcoming space that will continue our long tradition of commitment to storytelling and the written word and will be a major addition to literary life in Greater Boston. Our customers can follow project updates as they are announced at harvard.com/about/prudentialcenter.

It is important to note that none of this represents a reduced commitment to our Cambridge location, which remains our flagship store. In fact, in the next few months, we will begin renovation projects in Cambridge that will both improve the use of that space and make it more welcoming for customers, all while continuing our commitment to being a world-class academic bookstore. We will also be updating and enhancing our website at harvard.com, where visitors can view our events calendar, purchase books for pickup or delivery, and browse featured and staff-recommended titles.

We expect the new store to be open in Spring of 2023. This is quite an aggressive goal, given the scope of the project. To accomplish this end, we have engaged an extremely talented group of architects, engineers, and builders from the design collaborative Bergmeyer, Colliers Project Management, and the construction management firm Gilbane Building Company. 

We would like to thank our new partners, John and Linda Henry, whose investment in our store makes all of these exciting developments possible.

Jeff and Linda

Jeff Mayersohn and Linda Seamonson, Co-owners