One of the most iconic structures in Springfield, Massachusetts is also one of the city’s “most endangered historic resources.” That’s according to the Springfield Preservation Trust, which recently met to discuss priorities, progress and major downtown redevelopment efforts.
For over a century, the Campanile (Italian for “bell tower” or “steeple”) has overlooked city hall, most of the Metro Center and anyone driving by on I-91.
275 feet tall with its limestone façade and massive clock dials, it’s a sight to behold, but also isn’t in great shape.
Closed to the public for almost 40 years now, it’s in need of extensive repairs, which landed the Campanile on the Springfield Preservation Trust’s "2025 Most Endangered Historic Resources" list.
“The Campanile, at 36-54 Court Street - this building is a symbol of Springfield,” said Kira Holmes, the Trust’s Advocacy and Community Engagement Coordinator. “The city applied for a CPA [grant] to provide a structural study - this study has revealed the Campanile needs several structural repairs. The city has said the Campanile will cost over $25 million to restore.”
Holmes, board members and others gathered at the Student Prince restaurant a few blocks down over the weekend for the Trust’s annual meeting.
Other Endangered resources named include the Springfield Isolation Hospital on State Street – said to be one of the largest Art Deco buildings in the city, according to the Trust. It’s also currently caught in legal limbo involving the property owner and the property’s title. Also, a series of High Victorian Gothic-style brick row houses on Maple Street, though the Trust says it’s upbeat about a new owner looking to turn many of them into apartments.
Since the early 70s, the Trust has advocated for and fought to protect historic structures throughout the City of Homes. The city’s portfolio includes everything from a French Provincial house-styled mansion at 400 Maple Street to the Italian Renaissance-inspired Central Library to a former Masonic Temple on State Street – a massive Classical Revival-style building now home to the Springfield Conservatory of the Arts.
It also promotes the sites themselves – running bus tours in the past that are expected to return, says Springfield Preservation Trust President, Erica Swallow.
“I'm extremely excited to bring back the annual bus tour after 28 years. The last one was in 1997, but it is something we had going since 1977 - two full decades of an annual bus tour,” Springfield Preservation Trust Erica Swallow told WAMC, explaining how the tours originally came to an end amid a multitude of factors – heavy traffic and a multitude of houses to visit among them.
Swallow says the revival includes a partnership with Peter Pan Bus Lines and will feature the city’s libraries – several of which trace their origins back to philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.
Swallow adds that the Trust will be raising awareness of the Campanile’s condition in the year ahead, as well as continued advocacy for the 138-year-old Stearns Square bench that was removed by the city last year amid claims that it had been damaged. The city council and advocates are seeking funds to repair and restore the structure.
Sunday’s gathering also featured a guest speaker. Ed Woodbury, president of development firm McCaffery Interests, provided the Trust with an update on ongoing work to redevelop several parcels in the heart of Springfield.
“… it's about bringing buildings back to life, but it's really about redeveloping the downtown and bringing people back onto the streets - this is what's important,” Woodbury said during a presentation Sunday. “We do it through the buildings themselves, but it’s really the space and the streets and the pedestrian traffic that we’re going to focus on.”
McCaffery was named the “Preferred Developer” by the city in 2023 to redevelop at least three parcels off of State and Main Streets, by MGM Springfield and the MassMutual Center.
Totaling 130,000 gross-square-feet, the structures include 113-117 State Street – a different former Masonic building that also sports a clock tower – what’s known as the Colonial Block at 1139-1155 Main Street and 11-21 Stockbridge Street: properties acquired by the city in 2021.
Woodbury said the Clock Tower building – once a Romanesque building dating back to 1893 - could be home to around 30 apartments.
Meanwhile, the Colonial Block – dating back to 1902 - could be converted into as many as 75 apartment units, in addition to ground floor retail space.
Woodbury tells WAMC the work his firm’s been planning not only plays into the city’s “Main Street and Convention District Master Development Plan” – it also means restoring the city’s “urban fabric.”
“It's important to respect that architecture … because that's important to cities, and… I think it's also a matter of, once you restore those buildings, you also are contributing to the streets and the fabric, and it can't just be about buildings, and it can't just be about the street – it’s got to be about both.”
Woodbury mentioned the city has plans to build two parking garages nearby.
According to Springfield’s Development Services Division, residents can expect interior demolition and building stabilization work to start in the months ahead. The division’s Facebook page adds the “entire project is expected to be complete in 2027.”
Early estimates pegged the redevelopment work as costing $50 million. Springfield Chief Development Officer Tim Sheehan tells WAMC the project will also seek as much as $12 million in federal and state tax credits.
Woodbury also mentioned McCaffery and others will be taking on work on a fourth neighboring parcel – 1163 Main Street.
