Union Square (Somerville)
Coordinates: 42°22′47″N 71°05′47″W / 42.3797°N 71.0964°W
Union Square is a neighborhood of Somerville, Massachusetts located in the southeastern part of the city about half a mile from Inman Square in neighboring Cambridge. Located at the intersection of Washington Street, Bow Street and Somerville Avenue.
The name "Union Square" comes from the square having been used as a recruitment and mustering site for the Union Army in the American Civil War. A plaque commemorating the mustering site sits at the southwest corner of the square between Somerville Avenue and Washington Street. Union Square is now the commercial center of a primarily residential neighborhood with many restaurants, bars and neighborhood stores.
As the oldest and largest commercial area in the city,[1] Union Square is home to a number of community institutions, including the headquarters of the Somerville police. The Prospect Hill Monument, Union Square Post Office, Somerville Community Access Television (SCATV), and BostonFreeRadio.com are all in Union Square.
History
Union Square was Somerville’s earliest commercial district to develop when it was still a part of Charlestown. Early trade routes passed through the Square and a tavern was built here as early as 1770. Originally called "Sand Pit Square," the area's sandy, clay pit-dotted pastures yielded a fine grade of silica used in glass and brick-making. It was during the American Revolution, however, that Union Square took center stage.
Historic Prospect Hill's castle and park overlook Union Square and points south and west and provide outstanding panoramic views. Because of its location and height, Prospect Hill, dominating the road from Charlestown, had great strategic importance in the Revolutionary War and became known as the "Citadel".[2] The castle, dating back to 1902, is a monument commemorating the fortifications atop the hill during that war. A tablet inside reads: "This tablet is erected in memory of the soldiers of the Revolution and of the Civil War who encamped on Prospect Hill and of the banners under which they valiantly fought."[3] It is said by some that George Washington first raised an early version of the U.S. Flag, called the Grand Union Flag, on Prospect Hill, on January 1, 1776.[4] Others, however, claim evidence the flag was flown earlier. Somerville is one of several locales claiming to have hosted the flag's first raising.[5]
In its early years, Somerville was an agricultural suburb, supplying the growing urban area surrounding Boston. Union Square became a major commercial center due to its location at an important crossroads in eastern Somerville during the early 19th Century. After the Revolution, the Warren Bridge opened, linking Charlestown and Boston. This caused a considerable increase in traffic along Washington Street and Charlestown Lane. In the 1800s, rail access through Boynton Yards and the Union Square passenger stop served the meat packing and manufacturing district, which included a slaughterhouse, brickyard, and glass shop. Later the rail yards became an industrial area.[1]
A large influx of immigrant populations has been recognized in recent years by the ArtsUnion program, which has celebrated the Brazilian, Punjabi, and Sikh cultures of the area, among others.[6][7]
Commerce and gentrification
Union Square's location at the juncture of working-class East Somerville and the city's tonier western sections have made it the focal point of changing demographics. While Union Square still offered ten dollar Brazilian haircuts as of 2005, more upscale cafes and restaurants have opened since the 1990s, bringing gentrification deeper into Somerville and nourishing pedestrian street life, though with a highbrow twist.
Union Square is a hub for bars, although this feature, too, is fast changing. Current and former establishments include Bull McCabe's (formerly Tir na nÓg), P.A.'s Lounge, The Independent, Precinct (formerly Toast), Radio (formerly Choices), Sally O'Briens and Cantina La Mexicana (formerly Irish Eyes, closed in May 2006). Local restaurants include Journeyman, India Palace, The Neighborhood Restaurant, Sweet Ginger, Taquería la Mexicana, Sherman Cafe, Bloc 11, Macchu Pichu, Jimbo's Famous Roast Beef, El Potro, Ebi Sushi, Casa B, and Mama Gina's.
Many markets in the area are run by and cater to the various ethnic groups that live in and around Union Square. International Market is a Salvadoran store, Solução and Pão de Açucar sell Brazilian foods, Little India and New Bombay Market are Indian grocery stores, Capone's is an Italian grocery, and Reliable Market features Asian ingredients, primarily Korean. In 2010, Sherman's opened a store featuring only locally produced foods. The area is also becoming known for food production with Culinary Cruisers, Taza Chocolate, Fiore Di Nonno, and others producing everything from popsicles to string cheese in the square.
Community amenities
Union Square Main Streets, a local development group, began running a Saturday morning farmers' market in 2005 as one of its first visible efforts in the square.[8][9] A landscaped community garden,[10] with regularly scheduled concerts and artistic events, sits just outside Union Square at the site of an old school, at 22 Vinal Avenue. Marshmallow Fluff was invented in Union Square in 1917. Every September, Union Square Main Streets holds the "What the Fluff?" festival to honor this invention and Union Square's part in marshmallow history.[11]
Transportation
Union Square continues to be a transportation hub but at the moment the public transportation options are limited to buses. In the meantime there are plenty of buses that go through Union Square:
- 85 Spring Hill to Kendall Square
- 86 Sullivan Station to Cleveland Circle in Brighton, Boston via Harvard Square
- 87 Lechmere to Arlington Center via Davis Square
- 88 Clarendon Hill to Lechmere Station via Highland Avenue
- 91 Sullivan Station to Central Square via Inman Square
- CT2 Sullivan Station to Ruggles Station via Longwood Medical and Academic Area
In September 2013, the state secured funding to move forward on the Green Line Extension to build three new stations by 2017, signing a 51-month $393 million contract. Construction is expected to begin in early 2014 for Union Square, as well as Brickbottom Station and Lechmere Station in Cambridge.[12]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Union Square/Boynton Yards - Somerville Strategic Planning and Community Development". Retrieved 2010-08-04.
- ↑ The History of Prospect Hill Retrieved 2008-08-14
- ↑ Prospect Hill Park Retrieved 2008-08-13
- ↑ The History of Prospect Hill, part 2 Retrieved 2008-08-14
- ↑ Gordon, Edward W. (September 2008). "Union Square Revisited: From Sand Pit to Melting Pot". somervillema.gov. Somerville Historic Preservation Commission. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
- ↑ "Get a taste of Brazilian culture in Union Square", Cathleen Twardzik, Somerville News, October 8, 2011.
- ↑ "Somerville celebrates Punjabi, Sikh cultures in Union Square", Ashley Troutman, Somerville News, September 5, 2011.
- ↑ Union Square Farmers' Market
- ↑ City Of Somerville - News Detail
- ↑ growing center homepage
- ↑ "What the Fluff? festival, Somerville, Massachusetts". Retrieved November 3, 2008.
- ↑ Rosenberg, Steven A. (5 December 2013). "Somerville poised to grow along Green Line". bostonglobe.com. The Boston Globe. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
External links
- Union Square Main Streets
- Prospect Hill History & Photos
- Union Square Historic Photos & Maps
- Gordon, Edward W. (September 2008). "Union Square Revisited: From Sand Pit to Melting Pot (self-guided tour)". Somerville Historic Preservation Commission. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
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