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 Somerville mainstay Victor's Deli.The Brown School, opened in 1900, is located on Willow Avenue and serves the neighborhood's children from kindergarten to sixth grade.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, Eat at Jumbo's, Salon CU, and Blue Cloud Gallery, a gift shop specializing in the wares of local artists.Ball Square is a planned stop on the Green Line as part of the MBTA's anticipated extension of the surface rail line.