Efforts continue to preserve historic Springfield homes

SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - Efforts to restore historic buildings in Springfield will be in the spotlight Tuesday night. The Springfield Preservation Trust is handing out this year’s Preservation Awards at the Community Music School.

“You do one house, it saves an entire area,” said Bill Malloy of Springfield.

On Tuesday, the Springfield Preservation Trust is hosting their 2023 awards show to honor people and organizations that help restore historic structures in Springfield.

“As the City of Homes, it’s important for Springfield to maintain these beautiful homes into the future,” said Erica Swallow, president of the Springfield Preservation Trust.

Swallow told Western Mass News that these historic properties not only bring value, but they also promote tourism and economic development in the community.

“We get tons of people coming from out of the area at the trust for our walking tours and historic tours throughout the city,” Swallow noted.

Among the honorees are the Concerned Citizens of Springfield, an organization that has dedicated over 25 years to restoring beauty to the city.

“What we have done we have done through a labor of love, a love for the neighborhood, a love for the city, a love for the Forest Park neighborhood, and for the people who live here,” said Russell Seelig, clerk of the Concerned Citizens of Springfield.

One of their newest projects is located on Sumner Avenue, where they restored the entire exterior of a home.

“It’s wonderful living in a place that just feels like so much love has been put into the structure and into the home,” said new homeowner Joshua Mills.

Springfield Preservation Trust member Jim Boone told Western Mass News that projects like these are important because they highlight all the extraordinary sights in the city.

“Our past is our heritage, the values that we have as being citizens of this city, citizens of this country are based on often what came before us, the people, and how they express themselves through their architecture, their buildings, the history that went on in the community. We’re recognizing and respecting all of that through the preservation movement,” Boone said.

You can CLICK HERE to learn more about the different restoration projects happening in Springfield

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