On March 24, cannons shot confetti over the heads of shovel-wielding politicians and corporate executives in a vacant lot in Springfield’s South End. Around them, hundreds had gathered to celebrate the official groundbreaking of the MGM Springfield casino, which is slated to open in late 2017.
“It’s time to put those hard hats on,” said Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, to much applause, and to “knock some buildings down.”
Though the mayor’s office and casino execs are primed for action, guidelines put in place by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission say construction can’t begin in earnest until MGM signs a memorandum of agreement with the Massachusetts Historical Commission. That document, which is still in the works, will detail the company’s finalized plans for historic buildings on the site.
During an April 17 meeting, casino plans hit a speed bump when the commission’s executive director Rhona Simon requested that MGM conduct a feasibility study to determine whether demolishing the rear portion of the State Armory building could be avoided.
“At the [commisson’s] request we will look back at our process,” said Seth Stratton, MGM Springfield’s vice president and general counsel. He did not clarify how long this will take, but he said the next meeting with the commission will be “sometime in May.”
Questions about the use of the Armory have come up over and over again, and MGM has been jumping through hoops to convince the members of the Springfield Historical Commission — and their colleagues at the state level — that every building on their demolition checklist must go.
MGM is working under a construction deadline of 33 months from the time its license was granted in November. If that deadline isn’t met, the company will violate its Host Community Agreement with the city — a breach that will subject MGM to potential damages of $64,393.28 per calendar day.
Until the memorandum is signed, all demolition is on hold. MGM originally planned to demolish the first of 19 buildings — the old Zanetti School at 59 Howard St. — on May 18, but the building is still standing. The clock is ticking, and people are getting restless. In a recent editorial, The Republican referred to the Springfield Historical Commission’s efforts with MGM as “a building-by-building (and at times it seemed, brick-by-brick) tug of war.”
What, exactly, is taking so long?
Long story short: The Springfield Historical Commission was hoping that a few concessions up front would save some buildings from the wrecking ball. But that hasn’t been the case, and now the commission is digging in its heels over the Armory.
“From day one, we have respected the mission of the Springfield Historical Commission,” said MGM spokesperson Carole Brennan. “With its input, MGM Springfield has evolved for the better.”
But at this point, Springfield Historical Commission Chairmain Ralph Slate isn’t feeling charitable. Early on, he said, he expected MGM to come into discussions willing to negotiate, but he soon found that “they were just going to provide us with their plan and give us justifications for why they would stick to it.”
“If you look at what MGM started with and what we started with, we’ve conceded almost everything, and they’ve conceded almost nothing,” Slate said.
The point of this process, he added, is to actively explore alternatives to demolishing historic structures. In the case of the State Armory building, which was built for use by local militia in 1895, Slate said he and his colleagues requested in early 2014 that MGM preserve the rear portion of the building for indoor retail space, similar to Thornes Marketplace in Northampton, rather than knocking it down and building new retail space next door on Union Street. MGM has not addressed this proposal to the state historical commission’s liking — hence the new request for a feasibility study.
Until early February, saving the former Union House hotel building at 1132 Main St. was an equally contentious issue. Used for retail since the Great Depression, the building’s most recent tenant was Glory Shoes. But the Springfield Historical Commission requested the building be spared from demolition because of its former life: built in 1846, the Union House is the third oldest building in downtown. In 1847, President James K. Polk stayed overnight at the hotel, accompanied by President-to-be James Buchanan.
On Feb. 11, representatives from MGM’s design firms led the Springfield Historical Commission on a walk-through of the Union House. Shortly thereafter, the commission dropped their request to preserve the whole building and agreed to save only the facade on its Main Street side and a portion of its Bliss Street side.
So, if a walk-through of the Union House changed the minds of commission members, shouldn’t it have been conducted many months ago?
“I’ve got to be honest about that,” said Slate. “That was a concession on our part. That building could have been repaired. It absolutely deserved to be saved. But we weren’t getting anywhere saying that. We were trying to move this process forward.
“And, honestly,” he added, “I was hoping that MGM would give us something in return for that concession — that they’d be willing to move a little bit. But I was wrong. They dug in even further on everything else.”
In response to this, Stratton argued that the casino’s decisions to perserve the facade of the former YWCA on Howard St, as well as lobby space within 73 State St., would not have happened without these negotiations.
Aside from the Armory building feasibility study MGM is currently preparing for the state historical commission, Slate said he does not expect further issues to crop up.
In addition to that building and the Union House, the following historic properties have been under active discussion since 2012:
• The Former United Electric Light
Building, 73 State St.
The history: Built in 1910 to house the offices of the United Electric Light Company. Designed in the Beaux Arts style by architect Thomas M. James, who also designed the Shubert Theatre in Boston. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
MGM’s plan: To preserve the building’s facade and atrium and incorporate them into the casino’s new 294-room hotel tower. The marble-adorned octagonal lobby will be relocated to elsewhere in the new building.
• The Edisonia Theatre Block,
1156 Main St.
The history: Built in 1913 by the local father-and-son architecture firm of Eugene and George Gardner, this building housed one of Springfield’s earliest movie theatres and is listed on the Massachusetts Register of Historic Places. Last year the commission requested that MGM preserve the front facade, which features detailing in stucco and glazed terra cotta.
MGM’s plan: To “emulate” the historic aspects of the structure in a new four-story building erected at this location.
• The Western Massachusetts
Correctional Alcohol Center,
26 Howard St.
The history: Built in 1907 as a YWCA and listed on the Massachusetts Register of Historic Places. The city commission fought to preserve the front facade of the building until April 2, at which time it voted to drop the matter.
MGM’s plan: To move the facade to the front of an adjacent parking garage. The smaller building erected on this plot will include a sports bar, bowling alley, and retail shops. The Western Massachusetts Correctional Alcohol Center will relocate temporarily to the Holyoke Geriatric Authority building on Lower Westfield Road in Holyoke.
• The Turnverein Block, 79 State St.
The history: Built in 1888 to house the Turnverein Society, a German-American social group centered on physical fitness, the building was later used for office space. The commission requested that the Classical Revival style facade, which was added in the late 1920s, be preserved.
MGM’s plan: To demolish the building and connect the facades of the abutting buildings, which will be new construction.
• The State Building, 95 State St.
The history: Built in 1929, and designed in the Classical Revival style by architect Burton Geckler. The commission requested that the front facade be preserved.
MGM’s plan: To preserve the facade, in accord with the commission’s request. MGM may plan to demolish the rest of the building; this assessment is still pending.
When asked whether discussions between the Springfield Historical Commission and the casino have gone on too long, Slate sighed. “I think I was a little naive going into this,” he said. “It was definitely a learning experience for me. We’ve never seen a project this large before, with so many facets.”
However, he pushed back on the idea that the commission had gone “brick by brick” through MGM’s designs. “We didn’t do that,” he said. “We were selective. We recognize the importance of getting this done.”
Slate said he sees online comments accusing the historical commission of swooping in only when a building is about to be torn down. “I honestly don’t know what people think we should be doing,” he said. “If we went in to survey buildings sooner, we’d be accused of meddling.”
At any rate, he added, the city of Springfield has not funded the surveying of buildings for decades now. And the eight city-appointed commission members are all volunteers. “Our budget is zero. I take time off from work to come do this.”
But Slate feels that frustration felt by certain citizens toward the historical commission raises a larger issue: people engage with architecture more readily than with history.
The exterior of the soon-to-be-demolished YWCA, for example, didn’t impress MGM enough to be incorporated into designs, he said. “But it was an important social institution in this city. It was on postcards. It meant a lot to people.” And over on Main Street, Union House was built at a time when the southern section of Main Street was trying to compete commercially with the more well-travelled northern section along the railroad “It has great historic importance,” he said, “but people like to see turrets and towers. Union House isn’t beautiful. So people say, Who cares if a president stayed there?”•
Hunter Styles can be contacted at hstyles@valleyadvocate.com.
