Watertown will have a cultural district in the center of town after the City’s application received official approval from the Mass. Cultural Council this week.
The Watertown Cultural District will be centered around Watertown Square, and includes the Watertown Free Public Library, the Armenian Museum of America, and Saltonstall Park.
Watertown was one of three communities to get approval for a cultural district, said Michael J. Bobbitt, Executive Director, Mass Cultural Council.
“This is a celebration of these three communities, their distinct local character, and their cultural vibrancy,” Bobbitt said. “While Holyoke, Watertown, and Westfield are unique from one another and their peers in the Cultural Districts Initiative, what they share is a commitment to economic development through creative placemaking, celebrating – and prioritizing – arts and culture and using it as a tool to grow and support their local economies.”
Along with the designation, Watertown will received $15,000 to plan and develop the Cultural District, according to the MCC.
The cultural districts bolster not only the creative and cultural sectors, but also add economic vitality and help transform communities, according to the Mass Cultural Council’s announcement.
The announcement for Watertown’s Cultural District said, in part:
Watertown’s Cultural District will support inclusive and diverse cultural experiences that showcase the arts and strengthen the local economy by establishing the City as a cultural destination that is welcoming and engaging, encouraging public interaction, stimulating the creative economy, and preserving and amplifying Watertown’s diverse history.
“I am thrilled that Watertown now has a state-designated Cultural District,” said George Proakis, Watertown City Manager. “Our diverse arts and culture ecosystem will not only continue to strengthen with this designation, but we will further experience the many benefits of an inclusionary, innovative, and creative community.”
The Cultural District is already home to many events, such as the Faire on the Square, the Farmers Market, and the summer concert series.
“Programming at Saltonstall Park makes it a unique hub of entertainment and community connection in the City, as does the multitude of programs at the nearby Watertown Free Public Library, widely considered a gem in the crown of the state’s Minuteman Library Network,” the announcement said. “The district also includes two independent privately-owned art galleries, several creative businesses, and a multitude of restaurants serving menus from a wide array of cultural backgrounds.”
The City also has other cultural outlets outside of the District, including the Mosesian Center for the Arts, Mount Auburn Cemetery, and Perkins School for the Blind.
The announcement goes on to say: Watertown has a history of amplifying culture and creativity, and this new Cultural District is the next step in this process. In the 2010s, the arts found a champion within the Watertown Public Arts & Culture Committee, producing several public murals and moving the city to create and adopt a Public Arts Master Plan (2021). There has also long been a desire to make Watertown Square more navigable and welcoming to pedestrians and cyclists while also accommodating daily vehicle traffic, and to encourage visitors to linger and patronize local businesses. The Watertown Cultural District is poised to realize these goals by emphasizing the assets and programs that already exist and incentivizing initiatives that bolster the creative economy.
“The new Watertown Cultural District will be a crucial building block for the energizing and reimagining of Watertown Square as a gathering place for our community,” said Doug Orifice, Vice Chair of the Watertown Cultural District and President/Co-Founder of the Watertown Business Coalition. “We are grateful to Mass Cultural Council as they continue to be a tremendous partner to our City.”
State Rep. Steve Owens welcomed the approval of the new Cultural District in his hometown.
“I am thrilled that Mass Cultural Council has designated a new Cultural District in Watertown,” said State Representative Steve Owens (D- Watertown). “Thanks to Mass Cultural Council for recognizing the Watertown Cultural Council’s hard work in cultivating robust creative and cultural programming to make this happen. I look forward to seeing Watertown Square become a thriving cultural district as a result of this designation.”
With the addition of Holyoke, Watertown, and Westfield, the Cultural District Initiative now encompasses 58 districts in communities statewide, the announcement said. The Agency’s Fiscal Year 2025 spending plan calls for a $15,000 investment into each of these state-designated Cultural Districts to encourage their ongoing development, programming, and success.
It’s wonderful to have the Cultural District designation. But now comes the hard work of attracting and nurturing cultural facilities.
A quality gallery and perhaps a jazz or acoustic music dinner club come to mind.
Arts uses can be powerful components in revitalizing any district.