No bids for historic Spfld temple

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - Seven hundred and twenty four thousand dollars: that was the final price of the former Masonic Temple in Springfield at a foreclosure auction Thursday afternoon.

No one actually placed a bid, so this means the bank now possesses the building, which had been serving as the Basilica of the Holy Apostles; headquarters for the Holy Communion of Churches. Archbishop Timothy Paul told 22News that while it's unclear exactly what is going to happen with the building at this point, he hopes someone will be able to use it for a good cause.

“It's always been our idea to work with our mortgage holder to see that the building just doesn't go dark, so we're working it out,” he said.

Archbishop Paul added that he believes the sale price is too low compared to the value of the building. When The Holy Communion of Churches bought the building in 2007, he said they paid $1.7 million.

Located on State Street across from the Springfield Armory National Historic Site, the building is on the National Register of Historic Places. It was built in 1923.

The Holy Communion of Churches plans to build a new basilica in Maryland.