The Harvard Cooperative Society celebrated the grand re-opening of its newly renovated Harvard Coop Bookstore, Cambridge, Mass., on September 9 with a ribbon-cutting, followed by a weekend of games, prizes, live music and author events.
Located in Harvard Square, the Coop is the official campus store for Harvard University and is managed by Barnes & Noble College.
Planning the renovation of the historic bookstore began more than a year ago, and despite the disruptions presented by the Covid-19 pandemic, construction was completed within eight months. B&N College partnered with the Coop on the $6 million renovation, which is designed to provide a better, more exciting customer shopping experience and includes new flooring, lighting, retail fixtures and a community event space, as well as new heating and air conditioning systems and a new elevator.
The three-story, 28,550-square-foot building was built in 1924 in the Colonial Revival style and now features a wide selection of Harvard-branded apparel and merchandise as well as textbooks, trade books and school supplies. Founded in 1882 in a student dorm in Harvard Yard, the Coop is one of the oldest and largest college bookstores in the U.S.