As City Hall moves forward with rebuilding efforts after the June tornado, a group of volunteers is focusing specifically on preserving significant parts of the city’s past.
The non-profit Springfield Preservation Trust, working with Preservation Massachusetts, is organizing volunteers to assess damage to historic properties in the South End and in Maple High Six Corners. That information, the SPT says in an announcement, “will allow preservation experts to concentrate their efforts on historic buildings that may qualify for special funding.”
Typically, owners of properties within historic districts need the approval of the city’s Historical Commission to make changes to their homes’ exteriors. But under state law, that requirement is waived in cases where owners are repairing damage caused by natural disasters, the SPT explains; in such cases, the owner only needs to notify the Commission of the work.
One important caveat: “Permanent demolition within the district does NOT fall within this exception,” the SPT emphasizes.
The effort will do more than just protect historic properties, the organization adds; it will benefit the entire city. “There is a strong connection between historical preservation and economic recovery,” the SPT notes. “Historic preservation boosts the tax base, increases loan demand, enhances property values, generates sales of goods and services and creates jobs. Home prices in historic districts generally increase faster than the market as a whole. The extra protection provided by local historic district designation generally leads to owners benefiting with a higher rate of return on their investments. The added value of properties in historic districts strengthens the tax base of communities. Tax credit and preservation grant opportunities add economic value to commercial historic registered properties.”
