Houses first began to be built in the “Highlands” east of downtown Springfield in 1870, and by 1881 the area became the first planned residential neighborhood in the region. Today the area is known as the McKnight Neighborhood after the brothers who constructed many of the lavish homes, and it is on the registry of historic places as the largest and most intact community of late nineteenth-century wood frame homes.
The city is selling one such home at 52 Westminster Street. The house is described as a “wood frame, two and half story Victorian home constructed circa 1882 on a 11,520 square foot lot with approximately 4,000 square feet of living space.” In an attempt to revive this part of the neighborhood, the city will “entertain all offers that meet the minimum bid of $1,000.”
The winning bid will receive $100,000 of Community Development Block Grant funding for exterior and structural improvements. The funds are “not income-restricted and will be in the form of a forgivable, interest free loan.” There have already been three open houses and a final one is scheduled for March 19, 2010 between 2 and 4 p.m..
While the house is structurally sound, there is evidence of serious water damage, and in a number of places rotting has produced holes in the floors. Still, the house is a large one with many bedrooms, including a top floor with a full hallway and several rooms. Much of the period wood detailing is still intact, and the large yard is empty and awaiting a gardener and play structure. The house stands at the edge of the McKnight neighborhood and is a short walk from State Street.
