Ball Square

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Ball Square is a neighborhood in Somerville, Massachusetts at the intersection of Boston Avenue and Broadway, located between Powderhouse Square and Magoun Square. It is primarily a residential area with a handful of shops and restaurants along Broadway. Located on the edge of the neighborhood surrounding Tufts University, Ball Square contains a mix of businesses serving the student and academic populations as well as those reflecting the more blue-collar neighborhoods to the east. These establishments include Victor's Deli, Kelly's Diner and Sound Bites, both popular for breakfast, a coffee shop, True Grounds, Lyndell's Bakery, and Doherty's Funeral Home. The Brown School, opened in 1900, is located on Willow Avenue and serves the neighborhood's children from kindergarten to sixth grade.

Ball Square was formerly the site of the storied Willow jazz club. In the 1990s, a fire destroyed several commercial businesses on Broadway, and as those businesses were replaced, an economic transformation began that continues today, with long-time businesses such as Lyndell's bakery, which dates to the 19th century, sharing a block with a high-end wine shop and chocolatier and Blue Cloud Gallery, a gift shop specializing in the wares of local artists.