Uphams Corner

The Uphams Corner business district is part of the North Dorchester section of Boston, home to a diverse mix of people, including African American, Cape Verdean, Haitian, Hispanic, white, and Asian populations.

Created as a hub and launchpad for accelerating creative and social enterprise in the Fairmount Indigo corridor, the Lab encourages collaboration across disciplines and sectors.

The Fairmount Innovation Lab runs Launchpad, a startup accelerator, a selective four-month program that offers creative and social entrepreneurs with coworking space, lean business model training, expert mentors, shared resources and community with an evolving roster of thinkers and doers.

The $3.1 million investment was put in place to help finance a number of neighborhood initiatives, including revamping local storefronts, adding street and sidewalk lights and improving the Strand Theatre.

Advertised as Dorchester's New Million Dollar Photoplay Palace, the Strand Theatre originally opened in 1918 as one of the first theaters designed specifically for motion pictures.