Category: Springfield

Christ Church Cathedral, Springfield (1876)

by Dan//Churches, Gothic, Springfield

Christ Church in Springfield began in 1817, when the Episcopalian commander of the Springfield Armory, Col. Roswell Lee, established a chapel on the second floor of a small building on the armory grounds. When a fire destroyed the main arsenal in 1824, Springfield Episcopalians worshiped at several different temporary locations until construction began in 1839 on a church at State and Dwight Streets. The church was enlarged in 1851, but further growth necessitated the building of a new church. A Norman Gothic structure of Longmeadow brownstone, it was designed by architect Stephen C. Earle of Worcester and was built on Chestnut Street in 1874-1876. Within a year, the church’s tower cracked and was dismantled for safety reasons. It was not rebuilt until 1927. In 1929, Christ Church became the Cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts.

Springfield Fire and Marine Insurance Company (1905)

by Dan//Commercial, Neoclassical, Springfield

At 195 State Street (at the corner of Maple Street) in Springfield is the former headquarters building of the Springfield Fire and Marine Insurance Company. The company was founded in 1851 and had previously been located at Fort and Main Streets. Seven private estates were purchased and demolished to make way for the limestone Classical Revival-style structure, completed in 1905 and designed by the renowned architectural firm of Peabody and Stearns. The building was later used as the offices of the Springfield School Department, but due to various problems, including the lack of air circulation in the summer resulting in oppressive heat, the school offices were recently moved elsewhere. Last year, the antiquated building was sold to a developer who will undertake major renovations and convert it into at least 30 market-rate apartments.

Philip Kilroy House (1905)

by Dan//Houses, Mission Revival, Springfield

On Chestnut Street in Springfield is a stuccoed Mission Revival-style house, built in 1905 as the home and office of Dr. Philip Kilroy. Coming to the United States from Ireland with his parents in 1880, Dr. Kilroy (1866-1932) studied at Harvard Medical School and in Europe, becoming a respected neurologist, dermatologist and psychologist. He was also an antiquarian, who donated his archaeological collection of Indian artifacts to what is now the Springfield Science Museum in 1902. From 1936 to 1981, radio station WSPR owned and broadcast from the Kilroy House. It was later purchased by the Springfield Library & Museums Association and is used as administrative offices. Next to the house stands a tower of turtles topped by Yertle, part of the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden.

Former Masonic Temple, Springfield (1924)

by Dan//Churches, Egyptian Revival, Neoclassical, Organizations, Springfield

The former Springfield Masonic Temple, located at 339-341 State Street, was built between 1924 and 1926. Before its construction, the Springfield Masons used an earlier Masonic Hall at the corner of Main and State streets. The 1924 Temple is a Springfield landmark, with a monumental neo-classical exterior built of Indiana limestone with terra cotta trim. The facade features Egyptian Revival details, including four columns above the doorway, and symbols characteristic of masonry. Above the colonnade is a frieze with the dates A.L. 5924 and A.D. 1924, and the Latin inscription: “Aedificatum Ut Lux Splendesceret” (“Erected That Light Might Become Brighter”). In 2007, the Masons sold the building to the International Communion of the Holy Christian Orthodox Church, under the leadership of Archbishop Timothy Paul Baymon. The building is now used as a church called the Basilica of the Holy Apostles.

Company Officer’s Quarters, Springfield Armory (1836)

by Dan//Greek Revival, Military, Springfield

A number of buildings were constructed at the Springfield Armory to serve as Company Officer’s Quarters. Pictured above is one of a pair of adjacent identical structures built in the Greek Revival style in 1836. Next to these is an earlier building, dating to 1833. A fourth one, facing Armory Square, was built in 1880. All four buildings are now part of the campus of Springfield Technical Community College. Scroll or click below to see pictures of the other three buildings: Continue reading “Company Officer’s Quarters, Springfield Armory (1836)”

Springfield City Library (1911)

by Dan//Libraries, Renaissance Revival, Springfield

Springfield’s City Library Association was formed in 1857. After occupying a room in City Hall, a red-brick Gothic style building was erected at the corner of State and Chestnut Streets in 1863. When this building was outgrown, plans were made to erect a larger structure. Andrew Carnegie donated funds to build the central library and three branches. In order to continue providing library service during construction of the new building, the old library was moved back 200 feet to make room for the new one. Charles R. Trask, one of the old library’s original builders, was hired to move it (it was later torn down). Christ Church also moved its Rectory to the other side of the church. The new library, designed by Edward Lippincott Tilton in the Italian Renaissance Revival style, was built of reinforced concrete with a pink granite base, white Vermont marble, and has a frieze of white terra cotta. The building was completed in 1911 and opened in January, 1912. Continue reading “Springfield City Library (1911)”