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Powder House Square

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PHS from Warner St
PHS from Warner St

Powder House Square is a neighborhood and landmark rotary in Somerville, Massachusetts, United States. It is also known locally as Powder House Circle. It is the 6-way intersection of College Avenue, Broadway, Warner Street, and Powder House Boulevard. Powder House Square stands at the southern tip of Tufts University's main Somerville/Medford campus, and borders the northern edge of Nathan Tufts Park. The square takes its name from the 18th century Powder House which overlooks the rotary from Nathan Tufts Park. Powder House Square was home to one of the first hostile acts of the American Revolutionary War. The removal of colonial gunpowder by British soldiers, and the massive popular reaction known as Powder Alarm that ensued, are considered to be a turning point in the events leading up to war.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Powder House Square (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Powder House Square
Broadway, Somerville

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Wikipedia: Powder House SquareContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 42.4 ° E -71.116111111111 °
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Address

The Old Powder House

Broadway 838
02144 Somerville
Massachusetts, United States
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PHS from Warner St
PHS from Warner St
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Ball Square
Ball Square

Ball Square is a neighborhood primarily in Somerville, Massachusetts, but also extending into Medford, at the intersection of Boston Avenue and Broadway, located between Powder House 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 Kelly's Diner, Sound Bites, and Ball Square Cafe, all popular for breakfast; True Grounds, a coffee shop; Taco Party, Lyndell's Bakery; House of Kebab, an Indian restaurant; and Avenue Kitchen and Bar. The Brown School, opened in 1900, is located on Willow Avenue and serves the neighborhood's children from kindergarten to fifth grade. It's the only K-5 school in the Somerville School District. 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, along the same stretch as Ball Square Fine Wines and Liquor, a high-end wine shop, KenkoDo Clinic, an Acupuncture and wellness clinic, Amal Niccoli Salon, Salon Cu and Lindsay Griffin, hair salons to name a few of many businesses. Ball Square is a planned stop on the Green Line as part of the MBTA's anticipated extension of the surface rail line.