Christian Kelly, Public Relations & Events Manager
Mass Cultural Council has approved three new state-designated cultural districts in the communities of Holyoke, Watertown, and Westfield.
“This is a celebration of these three communities, their distinct local character, and their cultural vibrancy,” said Michael J. Bobbitt, Executive Director, Mass Cultural Council. “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.”
As the Commonwealth’s independent state arts agency, Mass Cultural Council is charged with bolstering the creative and cultural sector, thereby advancing economic vitality, supporting transformational change, and celebrating, preserving, and inspiring creativity across all Massachusetts communities.
With the addition of Holyoke, Watertown, and Westfield, the Cultural District Initiative now encompasses 58 districts in communities statewide. 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.
About the Massachusetts Cultural Districts Initiative
Established in 2011 by an act of the state Legislature, the Cultural Districts Initiative drives economic growth, strengthens the distinctive local character of communities, and improves the quality of life for families across Massachusetts. By supporting cultural and creative experiences, each of the Commonwealth’s 58 state-designated Cultural Districts attract tourists and entrepreneurs, which helps cities and towns develop their cultural sector and expand their tax base. Cultural Districts are located in communities of all sizes in every region of Massachusetts and are easy to navigate areas with a density of cultural facilities, activities, and assets. They act as hubs of cultural, artistic, and economic activity, and offer a place-based identity to collaborative community initiatives.
State law stipulates that state-designated Cultural Districts are eligible to benefit from programs, services, and economic development tools offered by state agencies, constitutional offices, and quasi-governmental agencies. This year the Healey-Driscoll Administration advanced this notion by adopting policies prioritizing grant applications submitted to the Community One Stop for Growth portal with projects located within Cultural Districts. Similar language is included in the pending economic development bond bill for the Mass Office of Travel and Tourism’s Destination Development Capital Grant Program.
The Massachusetts Cultural Districts Initiative is recognized for its success; in 2023 it received the 2023 Urbanism Award from the New England Chapter of the Congress for New Urbanism (CNU New England).
Applications for new Cultural District designation are not being accepted at this time; the program is being evaluated and will be relaunched in Fiscal Year 2026.
About the Holyoke Puerto Rican Cultural District
Since the early 1980s, the Puerto Rican community in Holyoke has created memorable work, influences, and community building resulting in meaningful change and economic and cultural enhancement of the City. As a result, Holyoke has the largest per capita Puerto Rican population of any city in the United States outside of Puerto Rico. From art installations to non-profit innovations, the Puerto Rican community continues to be a compelling asset to the city.
This Cultural District will serve as an outlet or extension of Puerto Rico for the Puerto Rican-identifying residents and everyone who lives in and visits Holyoke. The district will serve as an encanto for the City of Holyoke, working to ensure a livable, navigable, and safe place for all to enjoy its enchantment, through many different forms of cultural expression.
“In a City with the highest concentration of Puerto Ricans outside the island, this Cultural District stands as our oasis – preserving and sharing the richness of our culture with pride and purpose,” said Stephanie Colón, City of Holyoke’s Planning and Economy Development Office.
The Holyoke Puerto Rican Cultural District begins at the first decommissioned tower on Lyman Street to the 391-underpass tower. Its Main Street corridor is filled with colorful banners highlighting Holyoke community heroes, vibrantly lit towers, and booming locally-owned businesses, mirroring the strong culture of the surrounding neighborhoods, enhancing neighborhood perceptions, and catalyzing economic opportunity for the local community. Food is a significant part of Puerto Rican culture, and the district is home to numerous Latino-owned businesses offering culturally appropriate Puerto Rico fare. Moreover, Main Street is home to many large-scale murals, offering residents autonomy over their community and invoking a sense of pride in where they come from and where they are. The artwork tells the story of the culture in Holyoke and symbolizes how the City and its Cultural District are a part of that story.
This Cultural District will develop the Main Street area, which is welcoming not only to the Puerto Rican community but to all residents and visitors of the city, with a goal of attracting more Latino-owned businesses to occupy vacant storefronts and promoting the area as a vital and bustling destination that includes food, entertainment, shopping, and partnerships.
“The Holyoke Puerto Rican Cultural District is a bridge across generations, a home where the vibrant traditions of Puerto Rican culture can thrive and inspire, keeping our roots alive in the heart of our community,” said Colón.
“I am thrilled that the Holyoke Puerto Rican Cultural District has been recognized by Mass Cultural Council as one of the state’s new Cultural Districts,” said State Senator John Velis (D- Westfield). “The City of Holyoke is proud to be home to one of the largest populations of Puerto Ricans in the continental United States and this new Cultural District will foster new opportunities to celebrate the community’s rich heritage through arts, music, and other forms of creativity.”
Download a Map of the Holyoke Puerto Rican Cultural District
About the Watertown Cultural District
The City of Watertown is a growing and engaged community; it has seen growth in population and revenue over the last decade and is planning for more in its future. Its diverse population, including one of the largest Armenian diasporas, supports a variety of restaurants and retail establishments that draw visitors from surrounding communities. These attributes solidify Watertown’s identify as a place for ‘bridging cultures.’
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.”
Watertown Square, at the intersection of Main St., Pleasant St., Galen St., Charles River Rd., North Beacon St., and Mount Auburn St., is the civic center and transportation hub of the City, and a growing cultural center. Its proximity to the Charles River, at the most inland navigable point by water from Boston Harbor, is a cherished feature of Watertown. The Cultural District is home to many annual public events, boasting a long and growing list of arts and cultural assets including a premiere regional arts center, the Mosesian Center for the Arts, as well as world class institutions like Mount Auburn Cemetery, Perkins School for the Blind, and the Armenian Museum of America. 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 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.
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.”
“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.”
Download a Map of the Watertown Cultural District
About the Downtown Westfield Cultural District
The City of Westfield, located in the Greater Springfield region, is a midsize community with a suburban feel and a mix of neighborhoods. Westfield has transformed significantly, evolving from an agricultural and industrial center into a thriving community with a vibrant retail and restaurant scene.
The Downtown Westfield Cultural District is in the city’s downtown corridor. This district has an inclusive blend of historic buildings with three centuries of architecture, restaurants with various cultural cuisines, creative for-profit businesses, retail stores, and non-profit organizations, all highlighting the City’s rich history of whip manufacturing and education institutions while showcasing its present artistic and cultural assets.
“Over the last few years, our downtown corridor has welcomed restaurants, boutiques, and small businesses that foster a sense of diversity and walkability,” said Mayor Michael A. McCabe. “Together with these businesses, our dedicated cultural programming partners, and the City’s commitment to providing clean, welcoming public spaces, we look forward to this new partnership that will help our community achieve new heights.”
Westfield’s significant and strategic investments in infrastructure are visible upon entering the downtown. A picture of the classic New England downtown main street, the area has key pieces of infrastructure including a public plaza, public art exhibits, and a multi-use bike/pedestrian rail trail. A new plaza, located on Elm St., was once a vacant gravel parking lot and is now a space for festivals, performances, and gatherings.
The City of Westfield has a rich cultural and historical heritage and has put significant effort into creating an attractive and inclusive downtown area. Elm St. is home to a variety of small businesses and restaurants, and adequate public parking supports these local establishments. Investments in the streetscape have revitalized the area, turning previously empty lots into dynamic spaces that add to the vibrant commercial atmosphere. Court St. has a classic charm, with historic buildings such as City Hall, the Woman’s Club, and the Athenaeum leading to a picturesque Park Square.
The new Cultural District will showcase downtown Westfield as a navigable arts and cultural destination with accessible events and programs for all visitors. By promoting economic development, engaging community members in downtown events, creating a sense of community and belonging, expanding opportunities for artistic and historic events, and attracting more foot traffic from Westfield State University students, creative businesses will thrive, and the Cultural District will be an attractive location for new businesses owners.
“Westfield’s vibrant calendar of cultural and community happenings demonstrates the ongoing commitment of many volunteers, organizations, and businesses,” said Bob Plasse, Founder & Board Member, Westfield on Weekends. “Westfield on Weekends celebrates this Cultural District designation as a validation of its work and that of our colleagues in community. It also underlines the importance of the arts and culture as we bring people together during challenging times.”
“I am excited to see Westfield’s downtown area continues to grow and flourish with creative opportunities through the new state recognized Cultural District,” said Senator Velis. “By opening new possibilities for state investment with this recognition, the City of Westfield will be able to continue to support local artists and community gatherings that will without a doubt foster economic growth for our community. I appreciate all those with the City who have worked tirelessly over the last 12 years to make the opportunity possible.”
Download a Map of the Downtown Westfield Cultural District
Learn More About All 58 Cultural Districts
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