South End Sub-District

Design District

A onetime cluster of furniture and design showrooms that has filled in with condos, breweries, and office conversions.

Profiled buildings

Profiled venues

Also called

The Design District, sometimes lumped into 'North South End'

Walkable

Walkable along the rail line and S

Boundaries

Where Design District begins and ends

Roughly bounded by South Boulevard, Camden Road, and the light rail corridor near the West/Bland stop, shading into the old warehouse blocks north of I-277.

The Design District takes its name from the furniture and home-goods showrooms that occupied its brick warehouses through the 1990s and 2000s. Several of those tenants remain, but many buildings have been converted to apartments, breweries, or creative office space. The result is a patchwork district where a lighting showroom might sit beside a taproom, and a surface parking lot might be mid-demolition for a mid-rise.

Because it sits closest to Uptown, the Design District often functions as the entry point to South End for commuters and visitors arriving via the light rail. The Bland Street and West Boulevard stations anchor daily foot traffic, and new residential buildings have leaned into that adjacency, marketing short rail commutes over car-dependent convenience.

Industrial texture is still visible in exposed brick, steel trusses, and loading-dock façades that developers have preserved rather than demolished. That adaptive-reuse aesthetic gives the district a grittier feel than the polished retail corridors further south, which appeals to residents who want an urban edge without leaving the neighborhood.

Construction activity has been more or less constant here for a decade, and it shows: cranes, temporary sidewalks, and phased buildouts are part of daily life. Buyers and renters should expect ongoing development noise and shifting street patterns for the foreseeable future.

Housing stock

Adaptive-reuse loft conversions inside former showroom and warehouse buildings
Newer mid-rise apartment communities built on former surface lots
A smaller number of condo buildings, some still selling initial inventory
Live-work units marketed toward small design and creative businesses
Limited single-family stock; this is almost entirely multifamily

Anchors

West Boulevard and Bland Street light rail stations
Sycamore Brewing
Legion Brewing's South End taproom
Scattered furniture and design showrooms along South Boulevard

Best for: Renters and buyers who prioritize rail access to Uptown over walkable retail at their doorstep.

Walkability: Walkable along the rail line and South Boulevard spine, but pockets still feel industrial with wide surface lots and gaps in sidewalk continuity.

Where people live

Buildings in Design District

condo

The Arlington

A circa 2001 condo building offering ownership in the heart of South End.

apartment

Camden Grandview

A large mid-2010s apartment community typical of South End's rental core.

apartment

Berkshire South End

A large early 2020s apartment community typical of South End's rental core.

loft

Bland Street Lofts

A 1920s mill, converted early 2000s mill/warehouse conversion prized for exposed-brick character.

townhome

Southend Row Townhomes

A mid-2000s townhome community offering more space and a garage near South End.

townhome

Hawkins Street Townes

An early 2000s townhome community offering more space and a garage near South End.

mixed-use

The Foundry South End

A 2010s conversion mixed-use project pairing retail and residential or office space.

Eat & drink

Venues in Design District

restaurant · $$

Haberdish

Modern Southern on South Boulevard, a Design District staple for regulars who don't need to think about where to eat.

restaurant · $$$$

Bardo

Contemporary tasting menu on Hawkins Street, a Design District staple for regulars who don't need to think about where to eat.

restaurant · $

Pinky's Westside Grill

Diner comfort food on Bland Street, a Design District staple for regulars who don't need to think about where to eat.

restaurant · $$

Rice Fields

Vietnamese-Cajun on Worthington Avenue, a Design District staple for regulars who don't need to think about where to eat.

restaurant · $$

Rooster's Wood-Fired Kitchen

Wood-fired American on Griffith Street, a Design District staple for regulars who don't need to think about where to eat.

restaurant · $

Delia's Chicken Sausage Stand

Cajun chicken sausage on South Boulevard, a Design District staple for regulars who don't need to think about where to eat.

brewery · $$

Legion Brewing South End

An ipa-forward brewery taproom anchoring the Design District stretch of South End's brewery row.

brewery · $$

Southern Range Brewing

An ipa-forward brewery taproom anchoring the Design District stretch of South End's brewery row.

coffee · $

Loft's Coffee South End

Third-wave coffee on Griffith Street, the Design District counter regulars build their morning around.

Compare

Other South End sub-districts

Rail Trail Core Camden Road Corridor LoSo (Lower South End)Tremont Atherton New Bern Sedgefield Wilmore Dilworth Southside Park Wesley Heights

Primary Sources

Figures are compiled from public records and primary sources and are reviewed periodically. Conditions in South End change quickly — verify anything you intend to rely on.

The Local Network

Four firms we recommend by name

South End rewards specialists. These are the people we send readers to for building, buying, designing, and wiring a home in this district — read our coverage, or go straight to their studios.

Custom Builder