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172:(MBTA) to create a Red Line subway stop in Somerville at Davis Square. The MBTA agreed and in 1977 business owners and other local residents and officials formed the Davis Square Task Force to act as a citizen advisory committee on community revitalization plans. By the early 1980s, grassroots ideas about new civic spaces, new job and housing opportunities and safe walking connections to surrounding neighborhoods became part of the discussion around the Davis Square train station.
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tenants and became home to "burn-out storefronts" and "bars where motorcycle gangs hung out." According to a planning study completed in 1980, Davis Square suffered from "a lack of competitiveness among merchants, traffic congestion, inadequate parking and an increasingly deteriorated physical environment."
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As
Somerville continues to evolve, Davis Square was clearly the vanguard of revitalization and change. In the past three decades, Davis has become a vibrant regional center for retail, nightlife, dining and more. Davis Square is a prime business location with over 200 businesses including healthcare
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The city of
Somerville and the Task Force initiated many other projects to accompany the Red Line extension and Davis Square improvements. Property redevelopment activities included a storefront and facade improvement grant program, financing for building renovations, and designation of a portion of
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shows. In 1927, the trains that had brought many people to Davis Square were re-routed. This also contributed to Davis Square's decline in the middle part of the 20th century. Factories shut, businesses failed and residents began to move out to the suburbs. As a result, Davis Square lost many of its
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Brick paving was introduced in Davis Square in 1900 and the area continued to be a vibrant commercial and transportation center until post-World War II, with the exodus to the suburbs and the decline of urban centers throughout the nation. In 1914, the
Somerville Theater opened, hosting silent films
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With input from the Davis Square Task Force, the city made the Red Line station the cornerstone for downtown redevelopment. The goal was to strengthen commercial interests while preserving the residential character of the neighborhood. The 1982 Davis Square Action plan set forth the framework that
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The MBTA developed a central plaza linking the two station entrance buildings, built on the old railroad right-of-way. This plaza replaced a poorly defined open area containing at-grade parking spaces and debris. The plaza was designed to serve as the center of Davis Square, a gathering place and
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After the Civil War, between 1870 and 1910, people increasingly chose to live in West
Somerville where subdivided land was plentiful for new homes, both modest and substantial, and the commute to Boston for employment was convenient thanks to rail connections. By 1857 horse car railway lines were
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Davis Square was officially designated as a square by the City of
Somerville in 1883. It was named for Person Davis (1819-1894), a grain dealer who moved to the area in 1850 and built his estate near the intersection of Elm, Grove and Morrison Streets. Davis was both a Somerville selectman and
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At the heart of Davis Square is a complex, busy six-point intersection, which was radically configured as part of the plan. Until the reconfiguration, two major, pedestrian-unfriendly streets bisected the square; crosswalks, sidewalks, curb extensions and refuge islands were added to enhance
285:. Most of the remaining railroad right-of-way between Davis Square and the Red Line's northern terminus at Alewife was redeveloped and landscaped as a linear park or bicycle/pedestrian pathway. A public park was constructed directly behind the Holland Street MBTA
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The situation began to turn around in the late 1970s thanks largely to two entities: the
Somerville Office of Planning and Community Development, and the Davis Square Task Force. Their efforts culminated in the Davis Square Action Plan, which was adopted in 1982.
152:) routed steam rail service through Davis Square. These public improvements stimulated substantial development in the 1870s and 1880s as Davis Square quickly grew into an active commercial center. A boom in residential construction followed in the 1890s.
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sale in Davis Square, which marked a major shift for a neighborhood once known as affordable and working-class. It now contains some of the priciest homes in
Somerville and is significantly more expensive than the average for eastern Massachusetts.
49:, United States, where several streets meet: Holland Street, Dover Street, Day Street, Elm Street, Highland Avenue, and College Avenue. The name is often used to refer to the West Somerville neighborhood surrounding the square as well.
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pedestrian capacity, circulation and safety. Additionally, several freight trains had run right through the square each day on the Boston and Maine
Railroad, forcing traffic to back up for long periods of time.
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Davis Square is host to several popular festivals and events throughout the year. The
Somerville Arts Council's popular ArtBeat festival takes place here every year on the third weekend of July, while the
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Davis Square is today a vibrant commercial, retail, nightlife and dining district. Businesses in Davis range from stores to restaurants to even a martial arts school. Davis fell into decline after
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is recorded in its studios in Davis Square. For five years, the Jimmy Tingle Off-Broadway
Theater boasted a variety of nationally and regionally known acts, both comedic and musical, including
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The district was later developed as a 100,000 square foot office and retail complex, including public open space and a parking garage that serves patrons and employees of local businesses.
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center for activities, including outdoor entertainment. The plaza and the station were both eligible for state percent-for-art moneys through the
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program. One percent of the cost of constructing the new station entrances was used to commission several figurative sculptures including the
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alderman. During the 1860s and 1870s, roads were improved and rail connections strengthened, which allowed West Somerville to urbanize.
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district. Property acquisition, clearance, infrastructure upgrades, and development took place within the boundaries of this district.
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notes half a dozen food and entertainment establishments dating from before the Red Line still extant in 2012, including the
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Festival of activist brass bands occurs here every October. During the summer months there are free public folk dances.
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440:"Massachusetts State Representatives Henry Putney Danforth, Keyes Danforth, James Franklin Davenport, Person Davis"
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rated Davis Square as one of "Top 100 Cool Streets" in North America, giving it a score of "Prime Hipness".
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with West Somerville via extended tracks along Somerville Avenue. Passenger rail arrived in 1870, when the
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As part of the Davis Square Plan, the old Boston and Maine Railroad right-of-way was converted into a
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Sign showing intersecting streets of Davis Square. North is approximately to the right.
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office building, Buena Vista parking garage and Ciampa Manor senior housing building.
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opening on December 8, 1984. Additionally, Davis Square connects to several
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in 1984, however, the area began to experience a prolonged renaissance.
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and high-tech corporations, national non-profits, and media offices.
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583:"Column: Davis Square design in Somerville will be community-driven"
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shows movies, live performances, and has a satellite gallery of the
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Malaspina, Ann (1 October 1986). "Davis Square's return to glory".
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In the meantime, local officials and citizen groups petitioned the
634:. Local Governments for Sustainability U.S.A., Inc. Archived from
557:
The Role of Transit in Creating Livable Metropolitan Communities
560:. Transportation Research Board. 1 January 1997. pp. 39–.
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Davis Square is located approximately four miles from downtown
224:. This reputation has continued; in 2016, real estate company
136:, and in 1863 the Somerville Horse Railroad Company connected
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Historic Preservation Commission: The Statues of Davis Square
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629:"Transit Oriented Development: Davis Square, Somerville, MA"
413:"For answers to housing woes, look to vibrant Davis Square"
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437:
511:. Chapter of Victoria Society of America. Archived from
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Davis Square: A Transit-Oriented Development Case Study
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is a major intersection in the northwestern section of
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as one of the fifteen "hippest places to live" in the
866:(1998). "Davis Square, Somerville, Massachusetts".
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581:Curtatone, Joe; Gewirtz, Rebekah (7 June 2013).
580:
362:himself, but closed at the end of October 2007.
680:"Cool Streets Report - Cushman & Wakefield"
662:"Hip Hot Spots: The 15 Hippest Places to Live"
617:. City of Somerville. Accessed March 17, 2011.
794:
627:Local Governments for Sustainability (2006).
461:"Rebekah Gewirtz E-Newsletter: December 2006"
964:Geography of Middlesex County, Massachusetts
912:Davis Square discussion forum on livejournal
737:. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
959:Neighborhoods in Somerville, Massachusetts
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170:Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
66:Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
585:. Wicked Local Somerville. Archived from
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16:Neighborhood in Somerville, Massachusetts
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214:In 1997, Davis Square was listed by the
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710:"New neighborhoods gaining $ 1m cachet"
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297:, a 10-mile bicycle path that leads to
293:connects Alewife MBTA station with the
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780:: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
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838:. Sccs.swarthmore.edu. Archived from
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969:Squares in Somerville, Massachusetts
818:"It's curtains for Tingle's theater"
708:Blanton, Kimberly (September 2005).
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903:Annual art festival in Davis Square
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659:Jay Walljasper and Daniel Kraker,
237:reported the first million dollar
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266:and Davis in the 1980s, with the
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438:State Library of Massachusetts.
333:, McKinnon's Meat Market, and a
289:as part of a later project. The
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797:"The Evolution of Davis Square"
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463:. December 2006. Archived from
274:lines leading to nearby towns.
795:Patrick Doyle (January 2012).
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250:Davis Square is served by the
60:. The square is served by the
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872:Transportation Research Board
864:Transportation Research Board
816:Green, Kristen (2007-10-28).
712:. The Boston Globe. p. 2
389:. Google Maps. Archived from
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19:For the park in Chicago, see
500:Gordon, Edward (Fall 2006).
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836:"Davis Square Contra Dance"
64:, one of the stops on the
30:Davis Square in summer 2005
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350:Public Radio International
146:Boston and Lowell Railroad
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84:neighborhoods, as well as
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668:. November–December 1997.
283:Somerville Community Path
178:Somerville Community Path
150:Boston and Maine Railroad
56:, and two miles from mid-
47:Somerville, Massachusetts
868:Transit-friendly streets
684:www.cushmanwakefield.com
148:(later succeeded by the
226:Cushman & Wakefield
142:Lexington and Arlington
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38:Davis Square in winter
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21:Davis Square (Chicago)
935:42.39638°N 71.12226°W
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315:Davis Square statues
198:Davis Square statues
126:Massachusetts Avenue
62:Davis Square Station
940:42.39638; -71.12226
931: /
641:on 13 December 2013
589:on 13 December 2013
518:on 13 December 2013
291:Alewife Linear Park
204:Davis Square as an
74:Powder House Square
874:. pp. 32–37.
613:2007-11-07 at the
489:. 16 January 1978.
419:. The Boston Globe
342:Somerville Theatre
327:Somerville Theatre
318:
117:
72:. Davis abuts the
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567:978-0-309-06057-8
485:"Ask the Globe".
346:Museum of Bad Art
335:candlepin bowling
295:Minuteman Bikeway
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95:. After the
93:World War II
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43:Davis Square
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938: /
666:Utne Reader
423:11 December
331:The Rosebud
313:One of the
217:Utne Reader
176:led to the
156:as well as
82:Spring Hill
78:Ball Square
953:Categories
926:71°07′20″W
923:42°23′47″N
846:2012-03-26
802:2012-01-20
767:2013-12-08
741:7 December
716:2007-05-05
694:2016-07-21
645:7 December
593:7 December
522:7 December
471:2007-05-04
445:1 November
397:2012-03-26
374:References
287:head house
231:In 2005,
158:burlesque
134:Arlington
68:(MBTA)'s
58:Cambridge
776:cite web
735:mbta.com
611:Archived
272:MBTA bus
252:Red Line
97:Red Line
70:Red Line
337:alley.
299:Bedford
260:Alewife
256:Harvard
107:History
878:
564:
352:show,
348:. The
264:Porter
180:, the
54:Boston
639:(PDF)
632:(PDF)
516:(PDF)
505:(PDF)
368:HONK!
239:condo
128:from
101:Davis
876:ISBN
782:link
743:2013
647:2013
595:2013
562:ISBN
524:2013
447:2019
425:2013
340:The
262:via
80:and
258:to
132:to
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