CONTRACTOR SUGGESTIONS 

The Trust is continuing to put together a list of contractors that we could recommend to other people. As the experts in preservation, we often get asked for recommendations of contractors whose work is honest and good. This can range from good handymen to fine finish carpenters, plumbers and electricians. A big area of need is to identify contractors who have the ability and inclination to repair window ropes, re-glaze windows and do basic window repair. Inappropriate window replacement is often done due to a lack of contractors willing to repair. More money is made replacing windows so often that is presented as the only solution by contractors.  If you have had a good experience and would like to share that information with others, please fill out the attached coupon and send it to us at 979 Main St, Spfld. MA 01103.  

Name of Contractor_____________________________

Trade Specialty________________________________ 

Telephone #___________________________________  

Newsletter Contributors

Jim Boone

Linda Langevin

Michael Marcinkewich

Bob McCarroll

Jesse Steele

Marilyn Sutin, Editor

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Monthly Meetings

Monthly meetings of the Springfield Preservation Trust are held on the first Wednesday of each month at 6:30 p.m., at the Mason Wright Retirement Center, 74 Walnut Street.  All Trust members are welcome.

 Annual Meeting 

The Trust welcomes all members to our Annual meeting on March 4, 2007. We will be showing off our new office space as well as featuring our community partner, the Mason Wright Retirement Center. In addition to bringing you up to date on our activities of the past year, we will hold our elections for Board Members and Officers of the Board.  Our featured speaker will be the well known local historian, Dr. Don D’Amato.  

Don is a history professor at Springfield Technical Community College and is the author of “Springfield – 350 years, A Pictorial History”.  He speaks all over the valley on local history and is known for his tours of the Springfield Cemetery. Don D’Amato will speak about Primus Mason, a known adventurer, businessman, successful entrepreneur and generous philanthropist of the 19th century.  Primus Mason gave the land for Winchester Square, now Mason Square, and left an endowment that created the Mason Wright Center. 

Please join us for fine refreshments and good company on March 4th at 3:00. We are located on the lower level of the Mason Wright Retirement Community, 74 Walnut Street, Springfield. 

Parking is available in both parking lots on Union Street. 

Spring House Tour 

The Trust is organizing a house tour on May 20^th to feature 6 houses on Bellevue Avenue and Marengo Park.  At press time 4 houses have committed to opening including the wonderful 1905 brick house which hosted our winter fund raiser. 

The area located between Belmont Avenue and Dickinson Street was laid out in the late 1890’s on land owned by D. L. Swan.  A few Queen Anne style houses were constructed before the turn of the twentieth century; however most of the houses were built between 1900 and 1930 and are in the Colonial Revival and Tudor Revival style. 

Tour hours will be 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.  Tickets are $15 per person with Trust members receiving a $2 discount.  Advance tickets will be available at locations to be determined and on the day of the tour. 

Upcoming Award Ceremony 

The Trust will hold its annual Awards Ceremony in May. Each year the Trust recognizes individuals and organizations that have done good restoration work over the past year. If you are aware of fine projects that enhance the city or neighborhoods or feel someone should be recognized for their contribution through good stewardship over the years, please call Jim Boone (734-9110) with your suggestions. The Board will be voting on Award recipients at the March 7 meetings. 

The Springfield Preservation Trust Holiday Party 

A wonderful time was had by all!!  The Trust Board Members would like to thank all the members and non - members that attended the Annual Winter Party. You made the party a great success for the Springfield Preservation Trust.  The party was also a great success in no small part due to the food which was prepared by Linda Langevin, Patty Staples, and Robert Holbrook  and the time spent to set up for the event. 

We also want to thank the homeowners Tony Keevan and Jesse Steele for opening their lovely home. Both Tony and Jesse would like to thank everyone for the kind words regarding their house. They replied that it was a pleasure to have so many people who appreciated the work they had done to maintain this small part of Springfield history.   

Last of a Breed 

Let’s take a moment to remember a time gone by.  We are referring to the carriage house at 8 Bellevue Avenue.  This is one of or maybe the last untouched carriage house(s) left in Springfield.  This carriage house was completed in 1907, the same year that the main house was finished.  The carriage house was really more of a very grand barn meant to house and care for a minimum of two horses, storage for the feeds, hay, carriages and all other equipment.  The carriage house still maintains its two original very large horse stalls for housing the horses and three smaller ones meant for feeding.  It has the original state of the art system for feeding with hay and grains chutes from the second floor into the stalls for easier feeding. Also intact is the waste removal system that deposited waste into the full basement below. There is a carriage elevator for lifting the carriage from the first floor to the second for storage when needed. The entire carriage house, including the stalls, carriage elevator, and tack cabinets are all in excellent, unscathed condition. The story handed down is that by the time the carriage house was completed, cars had become more common and the home owner purchased one immediately so the grand barn never housed any horses. That perhaps lends credence to the pristine condition since the barn was never used. It is absolutely amazing that the original owner and all the future owners did not make any modern changes to the carriage house. It is a true piece of Springfield History and the last of a breed of times gone by.   

New home 

Now that the Springfield Preservation Trust is settled in our new office space, the Board of Directors would like to thank the following for their generous donations of furniture, office equipment, and books: 

Jim Boone

Jack Hess

Bob Holbrook

John Langevin

Linda Langevin

Bill Malloy

Paul Mann

Sarah Murray

Patricia Staples

Mike Stevens

Lexington Group

Mason Wright Retirement Community 

We are still in need of books for our Resource Center.  Please call Jim Boone at 734-9110 or via email at jimboone@hotmail.com with any donations of how-to, home improvement, decorating and architecture books and he will gladly pick them up. 

Helpful Hints 

Spring is coming and you may be thinking about projects that need to be done and need a good contractor. Now is the time to call your contractor or try to find one for the specific job you need done. Good contractors get booked up early so it is never too early to start looking and making a commitment so you are on their schedule for the warm weather months. If you have inside work to be done, winter is a good time for indoor projects. If you need a suggestion, “Ask the Trust” at 747-0656 and we can send you our list of favored, experienced contractors.  

We appreciate your suggestions of local contractors that have served you well, please continue with your recommendations. We also ask that you include the contractors address when you send in suggestions. We will constantly update the list and from time to time send out new copies. 

Window Repair 

Just because the ropes on your double hung windows are broken or the windows seem a little loose or need to be reglazed, there is no reason to even think about replacing them. Old windows, properly repaired, are far superior to any new plastic replacement windows on the market. If you need instructions on how to repair old windows, “Ask the Trust” and we can get you written instructions with pictures. 

Guidelines for Window Repair 

The Springfield Historical Commission has recently issued new guidelines for windows in local historic districts. The previous guidelines had not been updated for more than twenty years and predated replacement windows. 

The Commission recommends repair of existing windows or their exact replacement. These types of activities can be approved without a formal hearing by filing for a Certificate of Nonapplicability. 

The Commission, however, will approve double-pane replacement windows after a public hearing under a Certificate of Appropriateness if the following conditions are met: 

q       Window Style: The style of the window should not change (i.e. going from double-hung to casement).

q       Grid Style:  If the original window has grids, the grids on the new window must be permanently fixed on the exterior and should not appear substantially different from the originals. The width/thickness/depth of the grids should be substantially similar to the original. Changing to simulated divided lights is considered appropriate. Grids between the glass or interior-only grids are not considered appropriate.

q       Grid Pattern: The new window should have a grid pattern identical to the grid pattern on the original window. The number of lights in the sash should be identical, and the dimensions of each light should be substantially similar to the originals.

q       Sash: The area of the window devoted to glass should be substantially similar to the original window. The dimensions of the sash frame, particularly the width at both the meeting rail and the bottom of the lower sash, should be substantially similar to the original window.

q       Frame: The size of the window opening should be identical to the original window. No spacers should be added to the frame to allow installation of a stock window size. The lower sash should rest upon the original windowsill, and not on a spacer or replacement sill.

q       Permanent Color: If the proposed window is made of a material not designed to be painted such as aluminum with baked-on powder coat finish, then the permanent color of the material must be historically appropriate. For most buildings in Springfield’s historic districts, this would be a dark color. If the proposed window is made of a material that is designed to be painted such as wood or fiberglass, then the homeowner’s choice of paint color is not controlled unless the property is in a district that specifically controls paint color.

q       Glass Type: Double-paned or thermal glass is considered appropriate, but the glass should not appear bowed or warped due to inferior frame construction, nor should the glass appear tinted or colored.

q       Wrapping or encasing the windowsills or trim in any material is not considered an appropriate change.

q       It is recommended that exterior screens be half-height instead of covering the entire window.

The Commission will consider exceptions under a Certificate of Hardship on a window-by-window basis. Hardship certificates are issued only if the Commission finds that there is a specific condition affecting the property not found generally in the district and that if relief is not granted a substantial hardship will result.

Guidelines and applications can be obtained by calling the Planning Department at 787-6020.

In Memoriam  

The Trust has lost a long time friend and supporter in the recent death of Howard Caswell. Howard was one of those quiet supporters that came to all SPT events, was a long term member, and a generous Patron. Though often encouraged to become more involved in the Trust, he, in his modesty, always declined.  He would have been a real asset as his interest and knowledge of Springfield and old houses was extensive. We will miss Howard’s quiet presence and remember him for his support and love of Springfield. 

Houses of Springfield 

This month’s photograph is of a postcard of 151 Sumner Avenue. This single family residence is no longer standing.  The house once stood on one of the parcels now occupied by Kodimah Temple, located on the corner of Sumner Avenue and Randolph Street.