The Harvard Doughnut Shop, seen in the historic image, was an oldfashioned lunch counter and coffee shop. Despite relatively curt customer service, it survived into the late 1990s as a place where you could get a sandwich and a cup of coffee for well under $5. However, with changing tastes and the opening of Starbucks, the Harvard Doughnut, along with the Golden Doughnut, the Liberty Cafe, and the Phoenix Cafe all closed. One thing that hasn’t changed -- you still can’t turn left from Mass. Ave. onto Prospect Street.

Historic image: Staff photograph, Cambridge Historical Commission, 1965

Photograph: Phyllis Bretholtz, 2010

“Central Square: Then and Now” portrays the history and vibrancy of Central Square over the past century. The project is a collaboration of the Clear Conscience Café, the Cambridge Historical Society, the Cambridge Historical Commission, and Phyllis Bretholtz.