Built in 1884, the Joshua Bates School was converted into artists' studio space more than two decades ago. Today the photographers, woodturners, painters, and sculptors working out of the Joshua Bates Art Center are an integral part of the South End's arts community. The commercial artist studios complement the South End's eclectic mélange of community theaters, galleries and artists thriving in the district's former warehouses.

An historic building of national standing, the Bates was designed by Arthur H. Vinal, a prominent Boston architect who also designed Boston's Orpheum Theatre and Center Theatre. The grade school was named for Joshua Bates, Boston financier and philanthropist, and founding benefactor of the Boston Public Library. Today, the handsome brick building is part of the South End's distinctive blend of historic and modern architecture.