This is a map of the cultural district in Springfield to highlight historical, artistic, have sponsored a new “Cultural and Walking Tour Map” of Downtown Springfield , MA! visitors centers, and cultural institutions (check out their locations on the map!) our walking tour app is now available in the app store and google play!.
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- Springfield, Massachusetts
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Many non-basketball-related events in Springfield also draw inspiration from the sport; for example, the annual Hoop City Jazz Festival brings jazz greats and tens of thousands of people to the "Hoop City. The Duryeas were joined in Springfield's automobile industry in by Skene , which disappeared shortly after , and Knox Automobile , which survived until In , "Indian" motorcycles officially spelled Motocycle were the first successful motorcycle manufacturers in the United States. The Hendee Manufacturing Company, Indian's parent company, also manufactured other products such as aircraft engines , bicycles , boat motors, and air conditioners.
During the 19th and early 20th centuries, Springfield was known worldwide for its precision manufacturing and as "a beehive of diversified production. A publication notes that "Springfield has the most beautiful homes in New England. It has the most attractive streets in New England. It assembled nearly Silver Ghosts and Phantoms before production was halted by the Great Depression and the decision by Rolls Royce not to retool the plant. Granville Brothers Aircraft manufactured aircraft at Springfield Airport from until their bankruptcy in They are best known for the trophy and speed record holding Senior Sportster "GeeBee" series of racing aircraft.
During this time, Springfield pioneered developments in mass media. For example, the United States' first commercial radio station was founded in Springfield in , WBZ , broadcasting from Springfield's most luxurious hotel, the Hotel Kimball. During this period, then-U. Vice President Thomas R. Marshall , who served under U. President Woodrow Wilson , famously opined, "Here is a center from which thought emanates. What is said in Springfield is heard around the world. In , at the height of America's Great Depression , the City of Springfield suffered one of its most devastating natural disasters prior to the tornadoes of The Connecticut River flooded, reaching record heights, inundating the South End and the North End neighborhoods, where some of Springfield's finest mansions stood.
Much of the water damage was repaired after WPA money was made available to Springfield. However, two years later, high flood waters hit Springfield again. The standing flood waters were exacerbated by the New England Hurricane of , which came up the east coast of the United States on September 21, During the s, I was constructed over the areas affected by the great floods. Several of Springfield's grandest houses, including the mansion of skating blade magnate Everett Hosmer Barney, were demolished to construct the highway.
This decision effectively cut off the City of Springfield from the Connecticut River, its greatest natural resource. Throughout the latter half of the 20th century, Springfield endured a protracted decline, accelerated by the decommission of the Springfield Armory in Springfield became increasingly like the declining, second tier Northeastern U.
During the s and s, Springfield developed a new reputation for crime, political corruption, and cronyism. In , the theretofore stalwart Springfield Armory was controversially [ citation needed ] closed-down amid the Vietnam War. From this point onward, precision manufacturing companies, which had long provided Springfield's economic base and were also the driving factor behind its famous creativity, left the city for places with lower taxes.
As of , there are 36, manufacturing jobs in Metro Springfield. As of , Springfield had only 20, fewer people than it did in its most populous Census year, See population chart below. The exodus of its wealthy and middle-class — mostly Caucasians — to surrounding suburbs was compensated for by an influx of Hispanic immigrants, which changed the demographics of Springfield to a great extent by the Census.
Initially poor on arrival in Springfield, the Hispanic community's integration and subsequent increase in buying power set the stage for Springfield's resurgence in the first decade of the 21st century. In addition to the influx of Latinos, as of the Census , Springfield is one of the top five most populous East Coast cities for Vietnamese immigrants — and one of the Top 3 East Coast cities for Vietnamese immigrants per capita, behind Boston and Washington, D. Also, the Census indicated a substantial increase in Springfield's LGBT population, likely catalyzed by Massachusetts' decision to legalize gay marriage.
The Census indicates that Springfield now ranks tenth among all U. San Francisco, California, ranked first. During the late s, the elevated, 8-lane Interstate 91 was constructed on Springfield's riverfront — effectively blocking Springfielders' access to "The Great River. The I construction also covered the mouth of the Mill River. Academics note that both rivers would present major economic opportunities if I was altered. Route 5 , and which had been, historically, the highway used to reach Springfield from both the north and south. Indeed, between and , to make way for Interstate 91, West Springfield's Riverdale Road was widened and added on to, and businesses were moved.
The plan called for I to connect with Springfield via several state-of-the-art bridges. They boasted that the construction of I on Springfield's riverfront would catalyze economic growth comparable to that experienced during the great railroad expansion of the midth century. Although West Springfield had a right and legal claim to Interstate 91, State highway officials relented to Springfield's City Planners' pressures when confronted with a technicality — a short, existing section of US 5 through West Springfield that was built during the early s failed to meet Interstate design standards.
Thus, the plans for I were shelved in West Springfield, and hastily moved to the eastern bank of the river. From its construction until the present, Interstate 91's design flaws have contributed to logistical problems in Springfield. Due to I's close proximity to both Springfield's densely built downtown and the city's rail lines and riverfront, no more than a few businesses could be built to capitalize on highway traffic. Thus, Springfield never received the promised economic benefit from I — indeed, the highway's construction coincided with the start of Springfield's four decades of economic decline.
Also, throughout Springfield, I was constructed as an elevated highway, which blocked all riverfront views in downtown. Beneath the elevated highway, the City of Springfield's largest parking garage was constructed at spaces, as were a series of stone walls and grassy knolls, which have made the riverfront difficult to access by foot. The highway construction sliced through three of Springfield's most theretofore most desirable neighborhoods and many historical landmarks — among them, Court Square , Forest Park , and the Everett Hosmer Barney Mansion. In addition, the loss of Springfield's riverfront and the ugliness of the elevated Interstate 91 contributed to white flight from the city to its suburbs.
In , the Urban Land Institute released a plan that proposed several different options for re-configuring Interstate Currently, many Springfielders are enthused at the prospect of finally being reunited with the Mill River, and especially the Connecticut River. List of tallest buildings in Springfield, Massachusetts.
As of , Springfield's skyline features relatively fewer skyscrapers than most of its peer cities. The reason for this has to do with the construction of Springfield's neo-classical Main Street building, also known as State Street. Springfield's building height law remained in effect until , when the city's economy began to falter, and residents started to complain that Springfield looked "old-fashioned. During the building's construction, the Monarch Life Insurance Company filed for bankruptcy ; however, the graceful, mirrored tower still bears the former company's name despite being owned by Peter Pan Bus.
The State blamed overspending relative to income by the City.
History of Springfield, Massachusetts - Wikipedia
City officials blamed inequities in the ways additional assistance appropriations were allocated to Springfield relative to other Massachusetts cities. Both sides were correct. Springfield was overspending relative to its income, as the Commonwealth claimed. The city's financial problems had already resulted in wage freezes for city workers, cuts in city services, layoffs, and various city fee increases; however, on June 30, , the Massachusetts General Court granted control of the city including financial, personnel, and real estate matters to the Springfield Finance Control Board.
The original FCB bill filed by then- Governor Mitt Romney included a suspension of Massachusetts General Law Chapter E, the state law that defines the collective bargaining process for public employees. State employees are not covered by federal labor laws. Opposition from unions eliminated that section.
During the first several years of the Financial Control Board, officials concentrated on "controlling personnel costs," [51] However, in the FCB hired the Urban Land Institute to study Springfield and then conceive a viable plan for the city's revitalization. The ULI's study and subsequent 'Plan for Springfield' resulted in significant improvements throughout Springfield's Metro Center, a dramatic citywide drop-off in crime, and a viable course for the city's continued resurgence.
From until mid, Springfield pursued the National Urban Land Institute 's "Plan for Springfield," which revived the city's fortunes, engendering large-scale aesthetic improvements, infrastructure investments, and construction projects. For several years, these projects renewed Springfield's traditionally robust civic pride. After operating for three years without a city plan, Mayor Sarno adopted a privately funded plan known as RebuildSpringfield, which was unveiled in Concurrently, from until , numerous destination events took root in Springfield, increasing liveliness in the city.
Crime numbers bottomed out in , increasing negligibly in and From to , Springfield prospered economically in relation to its peer cities, while enduring "the worst American economic crisis since the Great Depression. In , two of Springfield's most prestigious higher education institutions built multimillion-dollar facilities, which opened in During Springfield's brief renaissance, the city's largest proposed monetary investment occurred in rail infrastructure — specifically, in the proposed, first-ever in the United States high-speed rail line. The Vermonter is in the process of being re-aligned to the former Montrealer route, through the more populous Pioneer Valley cities of Chicopee and Northampton , as opposed to smaller towns like Palmer.
On June 1, , at approximately 4: The tornado was also very wide at some points, reaching a maximum width of one-half mile. CNN delayed warning of the impending tornado due to a live interview with New York Congressman Anthony Weiner , who was discussing explicit photographs of himself that he had posted online. The Greater Springfield tornado left four people dead, hundreds of people suffering in hospitals with injuries ranging from lightning strikes to trauma, and over people homeless in the City of Springfield alone, most of whom stayed at the MassMutual Center arena and convention center.
In less than two minutes, much of the South End's commercial district — built more than a century ago and consisting of mostly brick, commercial buildings — lay in complete ruins, while the South End's recent improvements, e. After devastating the South End, the tornado moved east and headed up historic Maple Street, on and around which it caused significant damage. It seriously damaged the campus of MacDuffie School. Less than a mile eastward, large sections of Springfield College and the Old Hill neighborhood were completely destroyed, as were hundreds of homes in East Forest Park , an upper-middle-class neighborhood.
Flynn of Omaha, Nebraska , turned a ten-month-to-a-year restoration of campus into a ten-week project. However, Sixteen Acres' newer homes did not weather the tornado any better than did Springfield's famous Victorians. Immediately following the tornado, Governor Deval Patrick declared a "State of Emergency" for the entire Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Kerry cited city damages as "astronomical The City of Springfield is known as the City of Firsts because, throughout the centuries, its citizens have boldly created avante-garde products, organizations, and ideas. Today, the most famous among Springfield's "firsts" is the sport of basketball , invented in and now the world's second most popular sport.
Below is a partial list of the City of Springfield's "firsts: James Naismith of Springfield College. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. This article is written like a personal reflection or opinion essay that states a Wikipedia editor's personal feelings about a topic. Please help improve it by rewriting it in an encyclopedic style. September Learn how and when to remove this template message. Examples of The Magnet City campaign promoted by the Springfield Board of Trade just before the First World War; a predecessor of the Chamber of Commerce, the Board promoted Springfield's geographic proximity to trade routes in the Northeast in an attempt to sustain its growth in population and industry.
The encyclopedia of New England". Archived from the original on The Heartbeat of the 19th Century Industrial Revolution". As of , Springfield's housing prices are considerably lower than nearby New England cities that do not feature such intricate architecture. In Metro Center, some of Springfield's former hotels, factories, and other institutions have been converted into apartment buildings and luxury condominiums. In the Ridgewood Historic District, the s-futurist Mulberry House Mulberry Street , is now a condominium building that features some of the finest views of Springfield. Maple High, which is architecturally and geographically distinct from, but often included with Springfield's economically depressed Six Corners neighborhood, was Springfield's first "Gold Coast.
The Ridgewood Historic district on Ridgewood and Mulberry Streets also feature historic mansions from the 19th and early 20th centuries. In , this included Unity Church, the first building designed by the young Henry Hobson Richardson. The recognition noted Springfield's numerous parks, the purity of its drinking water, its regional recycling center, and organizations like ReStore Home Improvement Center, which salvages building materials.
Springfield, Massachusetts
Well-known parks include the following, among others:. Springfield employs a strong-mayor form of city government. Springfield's mayor is Domenic J. Sarno, who has been serving since The city's governmental bureaucracy consists of 33 departments, which administer a wide array of municipal services, e. Springfield's legislative body is its City Council, which features a mix of eight ward representatives—even though the city has more than double that number of neighborhoods, resulting in several incongruous "wards"—and five at-large city representatives, several of whom have served for well over a decade.
The Springfield Fire Department provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the city and holds the distinction of being one of the oldest established fire departments in the United States. In , the City of Springfield was on the brink of financial default, and thus taken over by a Commonwealth-appointed Finance Control Board until Disbanded in June of that year, the Control Board made great strides stabilizing Springfield's finances.
To many this is an impressive feat given the natural disasters and continuous cuts to state aide during the Great Recession. Construction for MGM Springfield is currently underway. It's expected to be completed and operational by the fall of Building off of the work of the Control Board, the city's finances have remained stable under Mayor Domenic J. Sarno's —present despite the Great Recession and several natural and man made disasters: June 1, , tornado Springfield Tornado, Hurricane Irene, a freak October Snow Storm which in some ways was more damaging than the tornado , [] and a large gas explosion in the downtown area in Like every other municipality in Massachusetts, Springfield has no judicial branch itself.
Rather, it uses the Springfield-based state courts, which include Springfield district court and Hampden County Superior Court , both of which are based in Springfield. Springfield, like all municipalities in Massachusetts, enjoys limited home rule. The current city charter , in effect since , uses a "strong mayor" government with most power concentrated in the mayor , as in Boston and elsewhere. The mayor representing the city's executive branch presents the budget, appoints commissioners and department heads, and in general runs the city.
He took office in January The Springfield City Council , consisting of thirteen members, is the city's legislative branch. Elected every odd numbered year, eight of its members are elected to represent "wards," which are made of sometimes incongruous groupings of Springfield neighborhoods, e. Five city council members are elected at-large. The City Council passes the city's budget, holds hearings, creates departments and commissions, and amends zoning laws.
The Finance Control Board met there as well.
In the past, efforts have been made to provide each of the city's eight wards a seat in the city council, instead of the current at-large format. There would still be some at-large seats under this format. The primary argument for this has been that City Councilors live in only four of the city's wards. An initiative to change the composition failed to pass the City Council twice.
In Mayor Charles V. Ryan and City Councilor Jose Tosado proposed a home-rule amendment that would expand the council to thirteen members adding four seats to the existing nine member at large system, but allocated between eight ward and five at large seats. This home-rule petition was adopted by the City Council 8—1, and was later passed by the State Senate and House and signed by the Governor.
On election day, November 6, , city residents voted overwhelmingly in favor of changing the City Council and School Committee. The ballot initiative that established a new council with five at-large seats and eight ward seats passed 3—1. On November 3, , Springfield held its first ward elections in 50 years. During the late s and first decade of the 21st century, Springfield experienced a wave of violent crime that negatively impacted the city's reputation, both regionally and nationally.
At one point in the first decade of the 21st century, Springfield ranked as high as 18th in the United States' annual "City Crime Rankings. The cities of Hartford and New Haven, Connecticut , both of which in were cited as "resurgent" cities that Springfield should seek to emulate by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston , are now by nearly all statistical measures, significantly more dangerous than Springfield.
City Crime Rankings, and Hartford ranks 19th. Springfield has the second largest school district in Massachusetts and in New England. It operates 38 elementary schools, six high schools, six middle schools 6—8 and seven specialized schools. There are also two charter secondary schools in the City of Springfield: The city's School Committee [ when? The plan faces stiff opposition from parents and minority groups who claim that the schools are still unequal.
The city is required under a s court order to balance schools racially, which had necessitated busing. However, since then, the city and the school's population has shifted and many of the neighborhoods are more integrated , calling into question the need for busing at all. Though the plan is likely to be challenged in court, the state Board of Education decided it did not have authority to review it, sidestepping the volatile issue while effectively condoning it. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield operated five Catholic elementary schools in the city, all of which were consolidated into a single entity, St.
Michael's Academy, in the autumn of A non-denominational Christian school, the Pioneer Valley Christian Academy, is located in the suburban Sixteen Acres neighborhood of the city. Commonwealth Academy [] located on the former campus of the MacDuffie School which moved to Granby, Massachusetts , in after years in Springfield , and teaches grades four through twelve, soon to enroll students in grades K; and the Academy Hill School, [] which teaches kindergarten through grade eight.
The Knowledge Corridor boasts the second-largest concentration of higher learning institutions in the United States, with 32 universities and liberal arts colleges and over , university students in Greater Hartford-Springfield. As of , Springfield attracts over 20, university students per year.
Its universities and colleges include Western New England University ; Springfield College , famous as the birthplace of the sport of basketball and the nation's first physical education class, ; American International College , founded to educate America's immigrant population, is notable as the inventor of the Model Congress program. Several of Greater Springfield's institutions rank among the most prestigious in the world. Westfield was the first university in America to admit students without regard to sex, race, or economic status.
Just outside Springfield's northern city limits is Elms College , a Catholic college. Likewise, just 2 miles 3. In , following the Pentagon's controversial closing of the Springfield Armory , Springfielders founded Springfield Technical Community College on 35 acres Springfield Technical Community College is the only "technical" community college in Massachusetts, and was founded to continue Springfield's tradition of technical innovation.
History of Springfield, Massachusetts
Efforts to establish the Springfield Public Library began in the s. As of , the public library purchases access for its patrons to databases owned by the following companies: Springfield's largest local newspaper is The Republican. Springfield has a long history of broadcast television, including two of the oldest UHF television stations on the air today. Springfield proper is serviced exclusively by Comcast cable. Springfield had a unique "dual plant" cable system from until All homes wired for cable had two cable drops run into their house.
Springfield was home to the first commercially licensed radio station in the United States, and the oldest radio station of any kind in New England: Much of the cargo heading from one of these places to another crosses through the City of Springfield. One of the few spurs of I in Massachusetts, I , runs through Springfield, and provides a secondary connection between I and I Currently, Amtrak operates out of a self-built platform following the close of Springfield's grand Union Station. The New Haven—Springfield Line is being upgraded for high-speed intercity commuter and freight rail. The project has received funding from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the Federal Government and the State of Connecticut.
The project is scheduled to begin service in January Local transit buses running into and out of the city use a facility owned and operated by Peter Pan Bus Lines, which is headquartered in Springfield at the corner of Main and Liberty Streets, next to the Gothic arch that denotes entrance into Metro Center Springfield. The Springfield Water and Sewer Commission created in its current form in owns several reservoirs and aqueducts, as well as hydropower and sewage treatment stations.
The city purchased the Springfield Aqueduct Company in Borden Brook Reservoir, located in the rural western Hampden County town of Blandford was completed in It feeds into the Cobble Mountain Reservoir completed in located at the junction of the towns of Blandford, Granville and Russell.
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The Ludlow Reservoir, also known as Springfield Reservoir, is maintained as an emergency water supply; it is located in Ludlow and fed via the Broad Brook Canal. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. This article is about the city of Springfield. For the metropolitan area, see Springfield metropolitan area, Massachusetts.
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City in Massachusetts, United States. History of Springfield, Massachusetts. For a more complete topographical description, see List of Springfield, Massachusetts neighborhoods. List of Massachusetts locations by per capita income. List of tallest buildings in Springfield, Massachusetts. Founded in , STCC is the only technical community college in the state. Performing and visual arts spaces include the Amy H. Originally known as North Congregational Church, this building was designed by Henry Hobson Richardson and is one of the most important landmarks in Springfield.
The brownstone edifice features a foot stone tower and Tiffany window. Developed between and , this is one of few remaining intact areas lined with Victorian row houses that can be found in all of Western Massachusetts. Around it a grouping of early 20th century buildings including the former Rolls Royce dealership, a one-time manufacturer of cars in Springfield. In the statue and pedestal were moved to Merrick Park.
Duryea Way , between Worthington and Taylor Streets. The Massasoit House Hotel served generations of travelers. An s section still exists behind the Classical facade. The Paramount Theater was added in and hosted major motion pictures, vaudeville shows, big band concerts, and talents such as Jack Benny. This facility is a public broadcasting organization serving western New England. CityStage , Bridge Street. This venue hosts plays, musical reviews, comedians, and concerts in its black box and main stage theaters.
New England Public Radio delivers radio programming at Gallery Space at Main. This expansive lobby in a former Federal Courthouse, features small and medium works by local metal sculptor James Kitchen, whose work can also be found throughout downtown. Tower Square Mall , Main Street.