Historic buildings on casino proposal sites

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - There are several historic buildings that could be jeopardized by the, now two, different proposed casino projects in Springfield.

The City of Homes is known for its old architecture and, as the city prepares to possibly host a casino - the Springfield Historical Commission wants to know if historic properties will receive any special consideration.

“Every planner that comes in and says what does Springfield have going for it says its historic building stock so we want to try to preserve that,” said Ralph Slate, Chair of the Springfield Historical Commission.

According to the Commission, there several properties that are part of the MGM proposal site in Springfield's South End that are on or could be on the National Register of Historic Places and at least one on what's projected to be Penn National's site.

 Examples include the First Spiritual Church on Bliss Street and the Kittredge Building in the North End.

Robert Schwarz, who's affiliated with the North End proposal, says the Kittredge building is not listed on the historic register and may not be preserved, but they are planning to preserve others.

“It's our belief that everything we're doing that is on the historic register will be preserved and protected. We don't think we have anything on our property that will be demolished that’s on the historic properties list,” Schwarz said.

Springfield Chief Development Officer Kevin Kennedy told 22News the city's casino guidelines require developers to consider historic landmarks in their proposals.

“For example, in the case of the MGM proposal the south end community center, that's a historical building we need to incorporate that, you're not going to be able to knock that down,” Kennedy said.

We'll learn the specifics of the different projects in mid-December.

The I-Team will continue working to determine which historic buildings are in jeopardy and which are safe.