HOLYOKE — The Massachusetts Cultural Council has approved three new state-designated cultural districts including Holyoke along with Watertown and Westfield.
The Holyoke Puerto Rican Cultural District begins at the first decommissioned tower on Lyman Street to the Interstate 391-underpass tower and will serve as an outlet or extension of Puerto Rico for the Puerto Rican-identifying residents and everyone who lives in and visits Holyoke.
Stephanie Colón from Holyoke’s Planning and Economic Development Office said the department has been working on it for close to two and half years.
“Now comes the real work,” Colón added.
Holyoke has the largest per capita Puerto Rican population of any city in the United States outside of Puerto Rico. From art installations to nonprofit innovations, the Puerto Rican community continues to be an asset to the city.
“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 Colón, “We really wanted to pay homage to the Puerto Ricans who are here, who move here and keep our traditions alive in the city even if we are outside of the island.”
She further explained, “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.”
When the MCC announced the city’s designation, the organization said Holyoke’s Main Street corridor is “filled with colorful banners highlighting Holyoke community heroes, vibrantly lit towers and booming locally owned businesses.
Main Street itself is home to 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.
Food is also significant part of Puerto Rican culture and the district is home to numerous Latino-owned businesses offering culturally appropriate Puerto Rico fare.
This cultural district is said to develop the Main Street area 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.
Nueva Esperanza Executive Director Kayla Rodriguez, whose organizational mission to be a catalyst and partner for a vibrant, sustainable and powerful Puerto Rican/Afro-Caribbean community in Holyoke, talked more about the designation and future plans.
She said, “This year we’re trying to focus on functional art and on top of that we also partner and also host a lot of cultural events down here in the district. A lot of our murals down here were done by Puerto Rican artists that came out from the island.”
They are currently working on a community mural with Common Wealth Murals and William G. Morgan School to put in the cultural district as well as moving an art project installation of Puerto Rican women in the community to the area.
Colón is also a member of the Board of Directors for Nueva Esperanza, Inc. and said this plan was also thought of through the Holyoke Tourism Plan to get outside visitors to visit a central location when they are in the city.
Rodriguez said when talking to a resident from Chicopee, she asked him why he comes to Holyoke and she said he responded with, “the cultural,” and when asked what about the cultural he said, “the minute you walk in [Holyoke], the people you see walking in the street, the music you hear everywhere, it’s a different atmosphere versus other areas.”
Rodriguez said that helps with the idea of pushing the Puerto Rican Cultural District because, “you can sense it, you can feel it once you walk down these streets, especially down here in the district which is very lively.”
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.
