A colonial at 37 Liberty St.

Warren’s Water Street is an ever-evolving mix of marine industry, retail and commercial enterprise, restaurants, houses, condos and apartments.

Waterfront Water Street is home to the Town Beach, the Town Wharf, and the town’s wastewater treatment plant. Across the street from the beach, Burr’s Hill Park is the site of summer concerts.

Warren’s history as a whaling village is evident in the Water Street neighborhood, which has a large number of houses built in the 1700s.

In 1632, a trading post was established in Warren, which then was known as the Indian village of Sowams. By 1760, the town was a whaling port and a center for shipbuilding.

Water Street has large, long-established businesses, such as Blount Seafood, and smaller, newer arrivals, like the Dish women’s clothing store.

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Water Street, in Warren

The waterfront location attracts restaurants as well as marine-related businesses.

The Cheese Plate, operated by Cool Moose Party founder, lawyer, political satirist and wine merchant Robert Healey, opened last year at 54 State St., at the intersection with Water Street.

The popular Three Rivers Café, which often had Sunday brunch crowds waiting for an hour or more for a seat, closed its doors late last year. But in its place is another breakfast and lunch spot, The Sunnyside.

A nod to history survives at 59 Church St. in the tiny Maxwell House, c. 1755, governed by the Massasoit Historical Association. Maxwell House is open on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and it hosts a Mad Hatter Tea Party every spring.

Caroline Wells, Warren’s town planner, said the town is planning some streetside and engineering improvements to the Water Street area, with a special focus on the Town Beach and Burr’s Hill Park.

There were a handful of properties listed for sale in the neighborhood last week. For $190,000, a 1760 Colonial across from the St. Mark’s parish center and thrift shop on School Street is available; the house needs “updating” and “TLC,” according to the listing information.

A Greek Revival cape, built in 1841, at 50 Washington St. is on the market for $399,000, and an 1833 Greek Revival house at 90 Union St. is priced at $575,000.

A c.1800 three-family house that needs work on School Street is for sale for $365,000, and a two-family house at 426 Water St. is available for $199,900.

A new condominium at Water Street Landing, a restored historic mercantile millhouse at 155 Water St., is for sale for $329,900. There are six condos in the building on the upper levels, and there are retail shops, including Dish, on the ground floor. The condo has three bedrooms, three full baths, two fireplaces, hardwood floors, air conditioning, and two decks, according to the listing information. Leased parking and a boat mooring are available.

POPULATION:

(Warren, 2000) 11,360

MEDIAN HOUSE PRICE:

(Warren, 2008) $267,750

INTERESTING FACT:

The Town of Warren, named after a British naval hero, Adm. Sir Peter Warren, suffered extensive damage on May 25, 1778, when it was raided by British troops during the Revolutionary War.

cdunn@projo.com