RAILROAD SQUARE, LLC
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA

Railroad Square encompasses 10 acres in downtown Tallahassee, the previous site of the historic McDonnell lumber yard, which became the Downtown Industrial Park in the 1960′s under owner William J. Boynton, Jr. In the mid-1970s his daughter, Nan Boynton, re-envisioned the park as a mecca for artists’ studios and galleries and began to manifest this plan, replacing industrial tenants with regional artists looking for inexpensive studio spaces, including Florida State University’s studio artist program. The current owners, Lily Boynton Kaye and Adam Boynton Kaye, have continued to foster the development of Railroad Square as a unique cultural destination.In the center of Tallahassee, Railroad Square Art Park is within ten-minutes walking distance of both Florida A&M University (FAMU) and Florida State University (FSU), and Florida’s State Capitol Buildings are just one mile away. Railroad Avenue, the road on which one enters the Art Park, is a business artery between the two universities and is home to the historic Amtrak train station. Railroad Square also borders the exciting Gaines Street corridor redevelopment project and the upcoming FAMU Way extension. For more than 30 years, many renowned artists have rented studios in Railroad Square, as well as other artisans and craftspeople. Academy Award-nominated film director Victor Nunez has an editing facility at Railroad Square. When you enter the park, on the left you will find a building with over 7,000 sq ft of space housing a vintage/retro store. Just past that you will see, Proof Brewery, Tallahassee’s Largest Brewery. There is a knitting supplies shop, an herbal emporium, and many other unique locally owned shops. Many of the spaces are working studios and only open to the public during events, such as the First Friday Gallery Hop. Others are full-time galleries and shops. The red railroad caboose is home to The Crumbox restaurant. Hosting more than 50 studios, galleries and small shops, Railroad Square is the creative haven of many Tallahassee artists and other small businesses. Railroad Square operates at its own quaint pace most of the month and then puts on the city’s most exciting “First Friday Gallery Hop” on the first Friday of each month. Visit Railroad Square and you’ll find a thriving art park filled with galleries, working studios, shops and the only café in town that is built out of a real railroad caboose. Just inside the entrance is our first green space, a sculpture garden with memorial park benches. Next you’ll reach the loop road that leads you around the entire art park and through the various gallery “neighborhoods.” “The main reason for starting this business was my [teenage] daughter,” Betty Proctor shares. “She has autism and anxiety… I want her to be able to look at challenges as learning experiences, and to develop the skills and confidence to become a leader or a business owner, to have options, be financially stable, and direct her own future.” There is no better example than this of why shopping at very small, local businesses makes a difference, and why accessible entrepreneurship is important for our society at large. Betty Are you a business owner or artist interested in joining our community? Here are a few ways to go about doing this: