Springfield MA

Visiteur · #1 Posted **Mar 19, 2007, 12:03 AM**

Some photos I shot while attending a conference in this gritty Massacheusetts city.

Monarch Tower

Stanz · #2 Posted **Mar 19, 2007, 12:09 AM**

Nice.

Jeeper · #3 Posted **Mar 19, 2007, 12:27 AM**

Gritty is right. Good photos.

Jeff_in_Dayton · #4 Posted **Mar 19, 2007, 12:43 AM**

One place we dont see much of. Actually I like it....they seem to have a lot of the downtown intact, not covered w. parking lots (more use of of garages it seems)...that "Tower Square" place looks interesting as it seems the first two floors have buisnessess in them and the garage is sitting on top.

xzmattzx · #5 Posted **Mar 19, 2007, 12:46 AM**

Springfield seems to have a good downtown.

peacefu603 · #6 Posted **Mar 19, 2007, 1:35 AM**

Very beautiful

DigitalUrbanity · #7 Posted **Mar 19, 2007, 1:49 AM**

I get to drive by TowerSquare every day pretty much. Its a rather oppressive and dark place. The indoor shopping center has never really been a success since it was built in the 70's probably killed a bit of the street activity around the place. With the exception of friday and saturday nights, downtown is pretty much dead after 6. Moving a few blocks away from downtown will get you in parking lot and strip club country.

ctman987 · #8 Posted **Mar 19, 2007, 2:13 AM**

Hope you dont mind but id thought id add a few pics of Hartford CT's big brother to the north...about 25 minutes to the north. Both cities are along I-91 and the CT River.

Monarch Place

Skyline from the Basketball Hall of Fame

City Hall

Main & Worthington Streets

Stockbridge Apartments

Main St outside the Mass Mutual Center

MassMutual Center

Basketball Hall of Fame

Bank of Western Mass & BankNorth Buildings along Main St

MNMike · #9 Posted **Mar 19, 2007, 1:42 AM**

I have always been curious about this town. So is it all developed between here and hartford..they are only like 30 miles apart right? Cool pics.

Ex-Ithacan · #10 Posted **Mar 19, 2007, 10:06 AM**

Nice pics Vis (and ctman). I was kind of surprised when I stopped by a couple of years back. The downtown was fairly active and intact. There was rehab going on in a couple of areas just outside the CBD. Some nice buildings too (both old & new). Not a perfect place, but I was expecting much worse.

hey Vis, did ya make it up to Holyoke? Now there's a town in trouble.

flar · #11 Posted **Mar 19, 2007, 5:03 PM**

Springfield's downtown looks to be quite dense.

ctman987 · #12 Posted **Mar 19, 2007, 5:47 PM**

Springfield is an intresting city. The city is largest city in Pioneer Valley and is its population of about 152,500 is larger then Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport and Stamford. Its downtown is quite dense but there are some seperations that have been built which discourages it from connecting with the rest of the city.

Many old buildings though have been kept...meaning not knocked down in the name of revitilization. Around these old buildings new skyscrapers were built such as Tower Square and Monarch Place.

Springfield is the home of basketball and the new Basketball Hall of Fame opened up a few years ago right near the old museum, a few steps from downtown on the other side of I-91 and the CT River. The museum also features a hotel, restaurants and shops.

Right near city hall on Main Street the MassMutual Center opened up about a year ago. It still features an arena but also now features a convention center as well.

Someone asked earlier about the area between Hartford and Springfield. The area around I-91 between Hartford and Springfield is heavily developed in some areas. Windsor, CT just north of Hartford is home to dozens of major corporations, Windsor Locks is the home of Bradley International Airport, Enfield has a huge mall and then soon your in Springfield. Past Springfield though it becomes less developed and more "New Englandish" Near Springfield are the great towns of Northampton and Amherst - these towns are home of the 5 college consortium which includes UMASS Amherst, Amherst College, Smith College, Hampshire College and Mt Holyoke College. Downtown Northampton is filled with shops, restaurants, galleries, coffeeshops, bookstores, etc.

Wheelingman04 · #13 Posted **Mar 19, 2007, 7:49 PM**

Thanks for taking photos of this city that is not seen often at all. It looks like the downtown is pretty intact and fairly clean. The skyline has always impressed me too. I hope they can get the crime rate down. That and the city's overall negative perception throughout New England is probably holding the city back. It also needs to diversify its economy.

daniel_t · #14 Posted **Mar 20, 2007, 11:20 PM**

My mom was born in springfield and raised in that area. She told me she won't go back for anything. I on the other hand, want to attend college there. I was born in Southbridge, but we moved away when I was just 1. I want to check out the city where a lot of family roots are.

By the way, why is Springfield and Western Mass. so messed up? So dirty and in financial ruin?

Daniel

DigitalUrbanity · #15 Posted **Mar 21, 2007, 2:50 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by daniel_t

By the way, why is Springfield and Western Mass. so messed up? So dirty and in financial ruin?

Only Springfield, Holyoke and to a lesser degree Chicopee are "messed up" really, of course contributing to economic stagnation of the Pioneer Valley. The combination of white flight, lack of attention from Boston, the collapse of the manufacturing sector, Mob and gang related crime, Bad development policies, and horrible government corruption during the last 15 or so years has continued to kick the cities while they're down. The financial control board put in place in springfield by the state has really helped in the last few months, along with the wholesale clearing of corrupt officials in city government.

The crime problem while severe, is largely localized. Holyoke is much better than it has been in the last 20 years, with no more of the huge arson fires that occured in the 80's and early 90's, and there has been a real surge in private investment in the city, with a mammoth textile mill being turned into a mixed use development. People shudder at the prospect of going through holyoke, but the reality is that the majority of violent crime is restricted to small, dense pockets of activity, and most of downtown (and the city in general) is pretty safe. I hope to either buy a nice cheap victorian, or build on an infill lot when the time comes, but land prices are continually increasing.

Jularc · #16 Posted **Mar 21, 2007, 1:32 PM**

I don't think I have seen Springfield before. Thanks for sharing.

lexicon506 · #17 Posted **Mar 22, 2007, 2:10 AM**

Much nicer city than I expected. I've only been there once, and that was to go to six flags, so I didn't see much of the city. I think the state and MBTA need to suck it up and provide funds for a commuter rail extension to Springfield. Better connectivity with Boston and the rest of Mass. would help the area a lot. And if CT's "Knowledge Corridor" commuter line from New Haven to Springfield gets built as well, the city could find itself at the new crossroads of New England, which would undoubtedly gain it some points with the business world. Anyway, the future is looking up for the city, and hopefully it will stay that way.

Evergrey · #18 Posted **Mar 21, 2007, 2:03 AM**

Great shots... I took one photo of Springfield while driving through on the interstate a couple years ago.

ItsConanOBrien · #19 Posted **Mar 21, 2007, 2:13 AM**

Gritty but nice!

Wheelingman04 · #20 Posted **Mar 24, 2007, 3:51 AM**

It does seem like an interesting city. I might check it out someday.