Gallery Views
36 No. Water Street
This lovely Greek Revival style building was constructed in 1815 as the dry goods store of Hathaway & Perry. The property was owned by the Rotch family until 1872 and it served in a commercial capacity for several tenants.
In the 1860’s it was the shop of Selmar Eggers, a gunsmith who developed a shoulder held bomb gun for the whaling industry, which was at its height at the time.
This area was the commercial heart of the city for the whaling industry and was considered the “Wall Street” of New Bedford with many banks and commercial houses located here.
In 1872, Joseph Beauvais, in partnership with Thomas Fuller established what was to become Citizen’s National Bank. The noted attorney, Hosea M. Knowlton, who tried the Lizzie Borden case, had his office on the second floor over the bank. The bank remained here until it was moved in 1891 to the building where Freestone’s restaurant is now located.
For most of this century it continued its commercial use with various businesses including cotton brokers and antique shops.
In May 1964, it became the first headquarters of WHALE, the Waterfront Historic Area League for nearly a decade.
Today it is home to the Tatlock Gallery, representing regional artists working in diverse medium.
The City of New Bedford
First and foremost, New Bedford is a vibrant working seaport. Her history is forever linked to the sea and the whaling industry which made her the wealthiest city in the nation for many years. Today you see the evidence of that wealth in the many beautiful commercial buildings and the fabulous homes of the whaling captains.
This city of diversity, now home to 100,000 citizens, retains the feel of a charming turn of the century city with cobblestone streets, period street lighting and enticing views of the harbor from the downtown historic district. Many visitors remark on the European atmosphere of the area.
As the whaling industry declined, the city became home to massive brick textile mills which still dominate the landscape in many areas. Today some are filled with artists and craftspeople, while others are undergoing conversion to condominiums. Galleries, shops and restaurants are now filling the storefronts in the downtown commercial district as well as the historic area near the waterfront.
Some of the highlights of the city are the New Bedford Whaling Museum, holding the world’s largest whaling and maritime collections and the Buttonwood Park Zoo, named one of the finest small zoos in the U.S. The Zeiterion Performing Arts Center, affectionately called “The Z”, is housed in a restored 1923 theatre and brings world class entertainment in music, dance and theatre to the entire south coast. The second Thursday of every month celebrates AHA!, a free arts and culture evening featuring music, art openings, family activities and museum presentations.
New Bedford is rapidly emerging as the arts, food and cultural destination for those traveling along the Interstate 195 corridor from Cape Cod to Providence or Newport RI and is an easy day trip or week end adventure for those coming from the surrounding areas.