SPRINGFIELD HISTORICAL COMMISSION

SPRINGFIELD PRESERVATION TRUST NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2006

• 265 State Street - approved gutters and downspouts

• 268 Sumner Avenue - approved removal of non original doorway

• 220 State Street - denied two handicapped parking spaces in front of Library

Actions on December 15, 2005

• 265 State Street - approved ground sign and carriage house wall sign

• 171 Longhill Street - denied vinyl replacement windows

• 268 Sumner Avenue - approved replacing non original patio door with two wood windows

• 14 Riverview Terrace - approved wood replacement windows with exterior wood muntins

• 123 Ingersoll Grove - approved continuation of chain link front yard fence until August 2006

Actions on January 5, 2006

• 99 -101 Forest Park Avenue - approved new garage door

Want to help preserve Springfield's built environment? Join our organization and become a vital part of the movement to preserve our built environment and promote our architectural heritage. Join now online.

Annual Meeting

The Springfield Preservation Trust Annual Meeting will be held at the 30 room Victorian Mansion known as AMESMITH at 270 Maple St. in Springfield. The gathering is for all Trust members or those interested in the Trust. It will be from 3:00-5:00 on Sunday February 26, 2006. Refreshments are served. Parking is available across Maple Street at the McDuffie School.

AMESMITH features marble fireplaces, a breath-taking ballroom, curved French doors, sunrooms, a large cherry library and so much more. This house has not been available for public viewing for decades and has been restored by the current owner. Donít miss it.

The Annual Meeting will feature a talk by Mr. Jack Hess who is an extraordinarily well-informed Springfield Historian. Jack is an expert on architecture, social and cultural history as well as being one of the most knowledgeable people on the subject of Springfieldís Industrial History. Jack was president of the Springfield Historical Society, wrote books on the history of the Knox Automobile Company and East Longmeadow. Jack was a founder of the Museum of Industry and Transportation that was located above the Tavern Restaurant. Jack has been a collector of Springfield memorabilia forever.

Jack will speak about the Knox car, the Rolls Royce Company in Springfield, the Indian Motorcycle Company, Springfieldís street cars, the Wason railroad car manufacturer, and how all of these companies contributed to the growth of Springfield culturally and architecturally. This is a program not to be missed.

Maple Hill Brochure Reprinted

The Trust has reprinted another 20,000 copies of its Maple Hill brochure, a self-guided walk through an area with some of the grandest houses in the region. Copies of the Maple Hill brochure, as well as our McKnight brochure, are distributed through the Convention and Visitorsí Bureau. The cost of reprinting was underwritten in part by sponsors and in part from proceeds from Trust house tours. A copy is enclosed with the newsletter.

Forest Park Heights House Tour

Circle your calendar for Sunday afternoon, May 7 when the Trust plans to mount a house tour of the Garfield/Fairfield Streets area of Forest Park Heights. Five homeowners have already offered to open. Two more are sought. If you know people who might be interested in participating, please contact Bob McCarroll at 736-0629.
News of the Historical Commission

For the past year, the Springfield Historical Commission has met twice a month so applicants can receive a faster hearing of their requests for exterior work. The Commission now has two alternate members who vote when any of its seven regular members are absent or abstain from voting. Meetings are 6:30 pm on the second floor of City Hall on 1st and 3rd Thursdays.

The Commission is working on a series of informational publications to outline the procedures for requesting approval of exterior work in Springfieldís six local historic districts. Because of the Cityís budget limitations, the Trust has offered to pay the postage for mailings to all 1,200 historic district property owners. The first mailing will be to McKnight and is expected to go out in January.