Holyoke – Page 3 – Historic Buildings of Massachusetts

Rigali Building (1887)

by Dan/June 3, 2016June 4, 2016/Commercial, Holyoke, Romanesque Revival

L. J. Rigali, a dealer in cigars and tobacco, erected the building at 341-346 High Street in Holyoke (on the right in the image above) in 1887. It was designed by George P. B. Alderman. Various businesses have occupied the building over the years. Just to the left of the Rigali building in the picture above is the building at 345-347 High Street, occupied by the YMCA from the late 1880s until 1893 and then occupied by the YWCA until 1910. In the late 1940s the two buildings were taken over by Henry A. Moquin (1919-1976), a dance instructor who restored the structures and had his dance studio on the third floors.

St. Jerome Roman Catholic Church, Holyoke (1858)

by Dan/March 13, 2016March 13, 2016/Churches, Gothic, Holyoke, Second Empire

St. Jerome’s Roman Catholic Church was the city of Holyoke’s first Catholic church. Holyoke Catholics were first organized in 1856 and the church, located at 181 Hampden Street, was built in 1858-1860. The church was designed by prominent church architect Patrick Keely. A fire in 1934 destroyed everything but the church’s brick walls. The building was rebuilt to plans by John W. Donahue of Springfield. A chapel was added to the rear of the church, plans starting in 1939. Continue reading “St. Jerome Roman Catholic Church, Holyoke (1858)”

James Hale Newton House (1870)

by Dan/November 4, 2015/Holyoke, Houses, Second Empire

The house at 159 Chestnut Street in Holyoke was built around 1870 for James Hale Newton (1832-1921), president of the Chemical Paper Company and the Home National Bank. In 1879 he established the Wauregan Mill, one of six he organized in Holyoke. In 1907, Newton moved to a larger house on the outskirts of the city. His old house house later briefly served (1911-1918) as the Holyoke Club. It was acquired in 1919 for the Holyoke Day Nursery, founded in 1916 and run by the Sisters of Providence. The building was enlarged in 1947 and attached to the neighboring carriage house.

Holyoke War Memorial Building (1936)

by Dan/August 12, 2015/Art Deco, Holyoke, Public Buildings

Built in 1936-1937 during the Depression under the auspices of the city and the Public Works Administration, the War Memorial Building (also called the Soldiers Memorial Building) in Holyoke was constructed to honor veterans of the First World War and to serve the city as a community center. The building contains a large auditorium and three meeting rooms. It is located at 310 Appleton Street. Continue reading “Holyoke War Memorial Building (1936)”

Mt. Tom Engine House (1887)

by Dan/August 12, 2015August 12, 2015/Holyoke, Italianate, Organizations, Public Buildings

At 2 Canal Street in Holyoke is the fire station built in 1887 for the Mt. Tom Hose Company, No. 1, the city’s first volunteer fire-fighting force, which had been established in 1851. The building was later known as Fire Station No. 4.

Mater Dolorosa Roman Catholic Church (1901)

by Dan/May 21, 2015January 23, 2020/Churches, Gothic, Holyoke

Mater Dolorosa Parish in Holyoke was established in 1896 as a Polish Roman Catholic parish. Worship took place in the basement of Our Lady of the Rosary Church until Mater Dolorosa Church, at 173 Lyman Street, was dedicated in 1901. Mater Dolorosa Catholic School opened a decade later. The church was closed in 2011 when Mater Dolorosa parish was merged with Holy Cross to form the new Our Lady of the Cross parish. This occurred came following a ruling from the Vatican after five years of appeals and court actions to prevent the closing. Next came controversy between the Catholic Diocese of Springfield and those who want to establish a Polish historic district on Lyman Street that would include the deconsecrated Mater Dolorosa Church. The proposed historic district was rejected by the City Council, but efforts to save the building continue. UPDATE: The church was demolished in December, 2018.

Holyoke City Hall (1876)

by Dan/January 13, 2015/Gothic, Holyoke, Public Buildings

The City Hall of Holyoke, located at the corner of Dwight and High Streets (536 Dwight Street), was built in 1871-1876. It was planned as the Town Hall, but Holyoke had become a city by the time it was completed. It was built with granite quarried in Monson. The building was designed by Charles B. Atwood, who utilized elements of the Gothic and Romanesque Revival styles. During construction, Because Atwood was not delivering updated drawings in a timely manner, the design work was turned over to H.F. Kilburn in 1874. An annex in the same style was completed in 1913. The building has a second-floor auditorium, called the City Hall Ballroom, that features thirteen stained glass windows designed by Samuel West of the Ecclesiastical Stained Glass Works in Boston. In recent years the painted antique glass windows had fallen into disrepair. A campaign was organized that raised funds and the windows were restored last year. Other restoration work has also been done on the building’s exterior and interior. Continue reading “Holyoke City Hall (1876)”