The SoWa Art & Design District (South of Washington) in the South End of

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, Massachusetts, USA, is a community of artist studios, contemporary art galleries, boutiques, design showrooms, and restaurants. It features the SoWa Open Market, the SoWa Vintage Market, and a residential neighborhood. Originally derived from a shortening of "South of Washington", SoWa spans the area from East Brookline Street to East Berkeley Street and from Shawmut Avenue to Albany Street.

History

GTI Properties and owner Mario Nicosia are credited with gentrifying the district beginning in the early 2000s and for inventing the SoWa name. In the 19th century, SoWa's brick and beam factories were home to manufacturers of pianos, canned goods, shoes and other merchandise. In addition, 540 Harrison Ave, a building currently used to host markets and events, originally opened in 1891 as the Central Power Station for the West End Street Railway Company, the precursor to the

MBTA The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (abbreviated MBTA and known colloquially as "the T") is the public agency responsible for operating most public transportation services in Greater Boston, Massachusetts. The MBTA transit network in ...

. The

Romanesque Revival Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended t ...

and

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

structure was the world's largest electrical power station at the time and later became a trolley barn.

Culture

Due to the number of artists and galleries located in the neighborhood, many events regarding art are held at SoWa. Every month, over 90 artists and galleries in SoWa stage their new 30-day shows, showing the works of established painters, photographers and sculptors. This event, known as "SoWa First Fridays", is held on the first Friday of every month from 5pm to 9pm. In addition, the SoWa Art Walk, an annual art festival held each spring, enables many artists to present their works and host open studios. Opened in 2003, The SoWa Open Market provides an opportunity for local artisans to share their products. Each Sunday, many visitors from across

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

converge in SoWa.

References

External links

Official SoWa Neighborhood website
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