Railroad Square Art District is an arts, culture and entertainment district of

Tallahassee Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of and the only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2024, the est ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, located off Railroad Avenue (south of the Amtrak station and FAMU), filled with a variety of metal art

sculptures Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

and

murals A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spanish ...

, and stores selling artwork and collectibles. In 2021, a skateable art park was added in partnership with Team Pain. The skatepark features Florida's longest snake-run.

History

Railroad Square Art District is the site of the former McDonnell Lumber Company, and most of the warehouses there were originally constructed in the 1940s. The property later became the Downtown Industrial Park. Railroad Square claims to have originated as a World War II-era rail yard. In the 1950s it was acquired by The Boynton Family, who renamed the site to Railroad Square in the 1980s. The park is now owned by Lily and Adam Boynton Kaye. The site has hosted a

microbrewery Craft beer is beer manufactured by craft breweries, which typically produce smaller amounts of beer than larger "macro" breweries and are often independently owned. Such breweries are generally perceived and marketed as emphasising enthusiasm, ne ...

, rock climbing gym, art galleries, art studios, and vintage shops, with over 70 tenants. Most tenants are located within railroad warehouses. In January 2019, discussion began on the construction of a

Hyatt Hyatt Hotels Corporation, commonly known as Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, is an American multinational corporation, multinational hospitality company headquartered in the 150 North Riverside, Riverside Plaza area of Chicago that manages and franchise ...

hotel at the entrance of the park. The decision was met with a mixed reaction from the park’s pre-existing tenants. The hotel opened in February of 2021, and in December of 2021, it was sold to the minority-owned hoteliers Noble Investment Group.

Tornado damage

On May 10, 2024, the Railroad Square Art District was struck by an EF2 tornado, one of two in Tallahassee that day. Damage was compared to that of

Hurricane Andrew Hurricane Andrew was a compact, but very powerful and devastating tropical cyclone that struck the Bahamas, Florida, and Louisiana in August 1992. It was the most destructive hurricane to ever hit Florida in terms of structures dama ...

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

, with one art gallery being entirely destroyed. Multiple buildings in the vicinity of the art district lost their roofs. Railroad Square was reopened relatively quickly following the tornado. Various businesses suffered severe damage, with one closing permanently. The owners of Railroad Square stated that the building will never be able to be completely rebuilt due to the site's historic warehouse housing conflicting with modern building codes.

Art and Galleries

A large portion of the spaces at Railroad Square are occupied by art studios. There are also a couple of galleries which host painting parties and arts and crafts events.

Mickee Faust Club

The Mickee Faust Club is a prominent local community theater organization that has been operating in Tallahassee since 1987 that operates an LGBTQ+ and disabled-inclusive venue on the south side of Railroad Square.

First Fridays

On the first Friday of every month for the past twenty years, the district hosts the ‘First Friday Gallery Hop’ (known locally as ‘First Fridays’), an event in the evening featuring live music, open galleries, and food trucks. Business owners at Railroad Square report that these events are a crucial source of income.

Gallery

File:Railroad Square Art Park.JPG, Entrance to Railroad Square. File:Railroad Square Art Park Gallery 621.JPG, Typical First Friday night. File:Railroad Square Art Park Mickee Faust.JPG, Mickee Faust Club House. File:Damage Points SDE image-20240511-191417.jpg, Tornado damage at Railroad Square from May 10, 2024.

References

External links

Railroad Square Website
{{coord, 30.433, -84.292, display=title Neighborhoods in Tallahassee, Florida Culture of Tallahassee, Florida Tourist attractions in Tallahassee, Florida