Everyone, this is Charlie. I did what I could. I had no influential backers. I will be writing a booklet about this project and my hopes and dreams. Now this sample of a historic hemenway home has been lost to the city forever. It was one of the finest and unaltered examples of the type of home the plumbers, carpenters, masons, etc. lived in when they build the fine ‘victorian’ mansions our city is noted for. This was the real home of the ‘city of homes’ and this plan of a central door and rooms to the right or left is now copied all over the city. This one was built in 1860 and an ‘el’ taken off by Hattie B. Hill in 1923 and the addition to the east (left side in the image above) was put on in 1923. Since 1878 or so this home has been the place people went to if they wanted to rent a room somewhere. It has been an integral part of the city’s fabric for about 159 years. Bad things happened to the black couple that had owned the home last and then the city took it for taxes. The building closer to Central street had been damaged by the 2011 tornado and by 2014 it had a mysterious fire and the city had demolished it. At that time, not known to most, the water and sewer lines had been capped by the city and the heavy equipment tearing down 251 Central had flattened them and damage was done to 257 Central. After the submission further damage was done as masonry blocks were taken away and the equipment hit the building. The city officials did NOT allow the preferred developer to take steps to secure the area or to stop weather from further deteriorating the building. In an agreement, we are told, the land will become and open space for people and perhaps some that have lived there or visited before can come and sit for a bit and feel the nice breeze and enjoy this really nice place to live in this city, if only for a few hours. Contact me if you want to know more about this or want updates on the proposed book about this failed project to provide an old man with a nice place to live in this city. Apparently the same day or the same hour the new city council was being established there were workmen at the task of destroying this piece of Springfield history. We can give you links to learn more of this house and there are about 4 left in the Chicopee and Springfield area that are of less than original state from the 1860’s that this one was.
Everyone, this is Charlie. I did what I could. I had no influential backers. I will be writing a booklet about this project and my hopes and dreams. Now this sample of a historic hemenway home has been lost to the city forever. It was one of the finest and unaltered examples of the type of home the plumbers, carpenters, masons, etc. lived in when they build the fine ‘victorian’ mansions our city is noted for. This was the real home of the ‘city of homes’ and this plan of a central door and rooms to the right or left is now copied all over the city. This one was built in 1860 and an ‘el’ taken off by Hattie B. Hill in 1923 and the addition to the east (left side in the image above) was put on in 1923. Since 1878 or so this home has been the place people went to if they wanted to rent a room somewhere. It has been an integral part of the city’s fabric for about 159 years. Bad things happened to the black couple that had owned the home last and then the city took it for taxes. The building closer to Central street had been damaged by the 2011 tornado and by 2014 it had a mysterious fire and the city had demolished it. At that time, not known to most, the water and sewer lines had been capped by the city and the heavy equipment tearing down 251 Central had flattened them and damage was done to 257 Central. After the submission further damage was done as masonry blocks were taken away and the equipment hit the building. The city officials did NOT allow the preferred developer to take steps to secure the area or to stop weather from further deteriorating the building. In an agreement, we are told, the land will become and open space for people and perhaps some that have lived there or visited before can come and sit for a bit and feel the nice breeze and enjoy this really nice place to live in this city, if only for a few hours. Contact me if you want to know more about this or want updates on the proposed book about this failed project to provide an old man with a nice place to live in this city. Apparently the same day or the same hour the new city council was being established there were workmen at the task of destroying this piece of Springfield history. We can give you links to learn more of this house and there are about 4 left in the Chicopee and Springfield area that are of less than original state from the 1860’s that this one was.