DID YOU KNOW tHAT...
...Newburyport was originally inhabited by the Pawtucket Indians, and was later settled in the 1630’s by European immigrants?
...throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, Newburyport was one of the biggest and most important ports on the Atlantic coast. It was also a major shipbuilding center.
...in 1811, a catastrophic fire leveled the downtown and led to stringent fire safety building codes, which helped in the preservation of the handsome brick downtown facades.
...in 2005, Newburyport was chosen The Most Beautiful City in America with a population between 15,000-20,000 by American in Bloom?
The historic building that houses the Firehouse Center for the Arts was built as a market house and lyceum by the citizens of Newburyport in 1823. As such, it hosted such distinguished speakers as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Daniel Webster and Oliver Wendell Holmes. It then served as the Central Fire Station from the mid 1800’s until 1980.
1991 heralded the Gala Opening of the Firehouse Center. A cooperative effort by the public and private sectors restored the structure and created a center for the arts that will continue to serve the community for generations to come. The Firehouse Center and Schwartz/Silver Architects won an “Honor Award for Architecture” from the American Institute of Architects. The Firehouse is managed by the Society for the Development of Arts and Humanities of Greater Newburyport (SDAH), a non-profit organization.
Over the past seventeen years, the Firehouse Center has been a hallmark of local culture and arts, drawing patrons from local communities as well as a large tourist crowd all four seasons. Programming is broad-based, and includes dance, music, theater, and a two-floor art gallery.