Springfield Municipal Group

Springfield is the most populous city in and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern Mill River. At the 2020 census, the city's population was 155,929, making it the 3rd most populous city in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the 4th most populous city in New England after Boston, Worcester, and Providence. Metropolitan Springfield, as one of two metropolitan areas in Massachusetts (the other being Greater Boston), had a population of 699,162 in 2020.Springfield was founded in 1636, the first Springfield in the New World. In the late 1700s, during the American Revolution, Springfield was designated by George Washington as the site of the Springfield Armory because of its central location. Subsequently it was the site of Shays' Rebellion. The city would also play a pivotal role in the Civil War, as a stop on the Underground Railroad and home of abolitionist John Brown, widely known for his raid on Harpers Ferry, and for the Armory's manufacture of the famed "Springfield rifles" used ubiquitously by Union troops. Closing during the Lyndon B. Johnson administration, today the national park site features the largest collection of historic American firearms in the world.Today the city is the largest in western New England, and the urban, economic, and media capital of Massachusetts' section of the Connecticut River Valley, colloquially known as the Pioneer Valley. Springfield has several nicknames—"The City of Firsts", due to the many innovations developed there, such as the first American dictionary, the first American gas-powered automobile, and the first machining lathe for interchangeable parts; "The City of Homes", due to its Victorian residential architecture; and "Hoop City", as basketball was invented in Springfield in 1891 by Canadian James Naismith. Hartford, the capital of Connecticut, lies 24 miles (39 km) south of Springfield, on the western bank of the Connecticut River. The Hartford–Springfield region is known as the Knowledge Corridor because it hosts over 160,000 university students and over 32 universities and liberal arts colleges—the second-highest concentration of higher-learning institutions in the United States. The city of Springfield itself is home to Springfield College, Western New England University, American International College, and Springfield Technical Community College, among other higher educational institutions.

First Church of Christ, Congregational, or Old First Church, is a historic church at 50 Elm Street in Springfield, Massachusetts. Built in 1819, the present structure is the fourth church building on the site, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. The church is within the Court Square Historic District.

A "Black Lives Matter" street mural has been painted in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Court Square in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States, is a park and historic district in the heart of Springfield's urban Metro Center neighborhood. Court Square is the City of Springfield's only topographical constant since its founding in 1636. It is bounded by Court Street, Main Street, State Street, East Columbus Avenue, and features Elm Street and a scenic pedestrian-only walkway from the courthouse toward Springfield's historic Old First Church. Springfield's Old First Church has been located in Court Square since the 17th century. It was the twentieth parish formed in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and was gathered in 1637, the year after Springfield was founded. The first meetinghouse was erected just east of this site in 1645. The current Old First Church (b. 1819) is the fourth building on this site, built by a Northampton architect, Isaac Damon. The rooster weathervane on the steeple was crafted by a Coppersmith in London, England, and brought to this country in 1750. Here inventor Thomas Blanchard and abolitionist John Brown worshipped; Daniel Webster spoke; and Jenny Lind sang. In 1902, the year of the city's golden jubilee, $100,000 was raised in public donations to fund a project extending Court Square to the Connecticut River, spurred by a donation of $10,000 by the estate of the late Tilly Haynes, one of Springfield's most active citizens. In the late 1950s, Haynes' contribution was undermined when Court Square was separated from the Connecticut River by the construction of the elevated Interstate 91, and a 1,754 car parking lot beneath it. The ornate, gothic stone Court House – now the juvenile court house – to the left of the church, was designed by renowned architect H.H. Richardson and built in 1909. To the right of the church, the Springfield Municipal Group was erected in 1911-13, and dedicated by United States President William Howard Taft in December 1913. In his dedication speech, President Taft praised the Springfield Municipal Group as "one of the most distinctive civic centers in the United States - and indeed, the world." The Municipal Group features a 300 ft. tall Italianate Campanile, which until the early 1970s, was the tallest building in Springfield (as per moratorium on skyscrapers in Springfield by the Massachusetts State Legislature.) In 2010, UMass Amherst located its Urban Design Program to the Byers Block, across Main Street from the MassMutual Center. 3-7 Elm Street, part of the historic Byers Block, was constructed for James Byers in 1835 by architect Simon Sanborn. This remaining part of the Block constitutes the oldest commercial building still standing in Springfield. The building has served several functions throughout the years. These range from the Elm Street Tree Shop (which occupied the ground floor from 1866–1906) to the offices of several notable Springfield citizens, including George Bancroft, George Ashmun, Reuben Chapman, 12 Springfield judges and 7 Springfield mayors. West of the Byers Block, the Romanesque Revival Court Square Building was originally a hotel and a renowned theater. A sixth floor was added to the building in 1900, including a tower that graces the elevator penthouse at the eastern end. The hotel became offices by the 1930s; however, the Court Square Playhouse remained the city's premier live theater until its surprise demolition in 1957. The Court Square Building features a brown brick exterior relieved with details of brownstone, terra-cotta, and granite. The Byers building was reconstructed by Architect Ben Schenkelberg in 2003, his goal was to preserve the history of the Byers Building. Ben won an Award on the Byers Building for outstanding restoring and preservation. #BMSarchitect #The historic district encompassing Court Square and its surrounding buildings was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

The Republican Block is a historic commercial building at 1365 Main Street in downtown Springfield, Massachusetts. Built in 1858, it heralded the northward expansion of the downtown north of Court Square, and was the first permanent home of the Springfield Republican, one of the state's oldest newspapers. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

The Haynes Hotel or Waters Building is a historic building at 1386-1402 Main Street in Springfield, Massachusetts. Built in 1864, it was the first of the city's grand hotels, and is one of its last surviving examples of Italianate commercial architecture. Now filled with retail and office space, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

Springfield, Massachusetts, United States, features relatively few skyscrapers compared its peer cities, due to a 1908 Massachusetts state law limiting the city's building height to 125', which remained in effect until 1970. In 1907-08, the construction of 1200 Main Street caused such an outcry in both Springfield and Boston that the Massachusetts State Legislature passed a law limiting commercial building height in Springfield to 125' – the height of the steeple of Springfield's Old First Church (the fourth incarnation of which had been constructed in 1819). As a consequence, Springfield did not develop a modern skyline in the pre-World War II styles of art deco or neo-classicism; however, many 'human-scale' versions of both styles exist in Springfield.Springfield's height limit was broached purposely in 1970, after the U.S. government had closed the Springfield Armory and many residents began to complain that Springfield looked too Victorian, architecturally. The Baystate West tower (now known as Tower Square, bearing MassMutual's name), standing 371', was designed that year in the brutalist International style by renowned architect Pietro Belluschi. Several major downtown projects followed in the 1970s and 1980s, creating an impressive modern skyline accented by the Campanile tower of 1913 (the one building which was allowed to breach the height law imposed on Springfield by Massachusetts).

Springfield District Court, now the City Hall Annex, is a historic former courthouse at 1600 E. Columbus Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. Built in 1929-30, it is a prominent local example of civic Classical Revival architecture, designed by well-known local architects. After serving as a county courthouse until the 1970s, it was adapted by the city to house additional municipal offices. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

The Union Trust Company Building is a historic bank building at 1351 Main Street in Springfield, Massachusetts. Built in 1907, it is one of the city's best examples of Beaux arts architecture, and one of only a few designs in the city by the noted architectural firm Peabody & Stearns. It is particularly noted for its facade, which resembles a triumphal arch. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

Hampden County Courthouse is a historic courthouse on Elm Street in Springfield, Massachusetts designed by Henry Hobson Richardson. This was the county's second courthouse. The first courthouse was a small meetinghouse structure built in 1740, and the second and was constructed in 1822, but by the 1860s, popular pressure was developing for a new proper courthouse. A grand jury indicted the county commissioners in 1869 for official misconduct since the courthouse did not have fireproof storage for the registry of deeds and the safekeeping of public records. This forced the county to build a new courthouse.Construction began in late 1871, and the building was dedicated on April 28, 1874. The original building cost $214,068. The site, within the middle of a city block and measuring 160 by 90 feet, cost $75,716. The building is shaped roughly like the capital letter I, with the main facade emphasizing vertical lines, tall windows, and two tall dormers on either side of the bell tower. The facades were built of light gray Monson granite in rough-faced random ashlar masonry, with smooth-faced trim. The overall design reflects Richardson's evolution as a designer, showing development from the Brattle Square Church. In his 1972 treatise on Springfield history, Town Into City, Dr. Michael Frisch, professor of American Studies at University at Albany, described the structure as "the single most impressive building of the period [1840 to 1880], well symboliz[ing] Springfield's new importance in the life and economy of its region". The county's growth eventually pushed the probate court and registry of deeds into another building in 1907, and the county built a large addition to the building between 1908 and 1912. This was designed by Richardson's successor firm Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge. The sloping roof and high dormers were eliminated in the remodeling, making it difficult to visualize some parts of Richardson's original design.The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. Today, it houses the juvenile and Western Division of the Massachusetts Housing Court. The Courthouse is part of the Court Square Historic District.

The Walker Building is a historic commercial building at 1228-1244 Main Street in downtown Springfield, Massachusetts. Built in 1898, it is one of the best examples of Richardsonian Romanesque design in the city. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

The United Electric Co. Building was a historic commercial building at 73 State Street in Springfield, Massachusetts. One of the city's few Beaux-Arts buildings, it was built in 1910 to serve as the headquarters of the United Electric Company, Springfield's supplier of electricity since the 1880s. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. It has been mostly demolished, preserving the facade as part of the MGM Springfield casino project.