In SoWa, Connecting Past and Present at Reed's Block

From That Same Old Guy:

Located in Boston's art-centric SoWa neighborhood, the former Reed's Block building is immense and has a cool, vibrant history that connects nicely to its present-day functions.

"Reed's Block is probably the earliest example in Boston of a building designed specifically to house a variety of small industrial firms," according to this 1995 South End Historical Society Newsletter. Completed in 1881, the building is 634 feet long, 50 feet wide and four stories tall.

Among the early tenants of Reed's Block were a piano manufacturer and a buttonhole machinery company, per the historical society's newsletter. In all, there were roughly 40 small manufacturing companies here in the building's heyday. While there don't appear to be any manufacturers here today, there are several art galleries -- Abigail Ogilvy Gallery, Fountain Street Gallery, Galatea Fine Art, Alpha Gallery -- in addition to artist agency Canvas Fine Arts, other businesses and some apartments. I have no idea what went on here before the galleries took over many years ago. I'm guessing there were other small businesses and possibly some period of time when Reed's Block may have been empty.

The number of galleries isn't surprising, given that SoWa (South of Washington) has long been home to artists of all sorts, from painters and sculptors to those working in ceramics, clothing and furniture, as well as boutiques, funky restaurants and vintage shops. The neighborhood is home to the SoWa Open Market, where 175 creative types of all sorts sell their wares amid food trucks and musicians each Sunday from May to October.

From the official SoWa web site:

"If Boston was a person, SoWa would be its creative side. Its independent streak. Its curiosity. Because here imagination has created a corner of the city filled with the eclectic and the unexpected. Where one-of-a-kind restaurants, galleries, and small business are run by one-of-a-kind people. Where food is sold by farmers, beer sold from barns, and art is sold where art is made. People don’t just visit SoWa. They live it. They taste it. They experience it. Explore your creative side. Explore SoWa."

I've only been to the SoWa Market once, but I hope to get there on a more regular basis. For more about this artsy area of Boston's South End, see June 29, 2019, "Back Streets, Oh Boy."