Holyoke, MA

[stepper77]

Holyoke is city of about 40,000 along the Connecticut River is central Mass. It is part of the greater Springfield Metropolitan Area and definitely one of those cities that has seen better days. I asked the friends and family I was staying with, who live in nearby Chicopee, whether there was anything interesting to see in Holyoke. They answered, "Yes, the Holyoke Mall is great!" I am certainly glad I didn't listen because downtown Holyoke, while a little rough along the edges, definitely has a lot of potential. Hopefully, it will be realized.











Deserted train station



















It's looking a little bleak, let's go to downtown proper...















Holyoke wasn't as deserted as it looks





























































There are signs of redevelopment/reuse of the old industrial sections, the building in the front here is now a Teen Center.



























Ahhh...a little nature...











































One last shot of city hall...



...this means the day's photography is over...



Tomorrow's destination...Chicopee and Springfield


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Quincy - Provincetown- Chicopee - Springfield - Worcester - Boston

[latennisguy]

Holyoke! ( almost sounds funny)...thanks for the tour. It looks like some old novel come to life..well..and death.

[Ex-Ithacan]

I think the grayish mood of the pics match the city fairly well. There are some grand old buildings downtown, and perhaps some hope for revitalization too, but I was left kinda sad by the place. Seemed to be a lot of abandoned apartment buildings (tenement style). And plenty of blocks that probably once teemed with people and when I visited were just large dirt lots. Cool tour though, thanks.

[TinChelseaNYC]

You're definitely right about the potential. How sad to see such pretty buildings neglected and abandoned. An all too common story in this country...

Nice tour!

[OhioGuy]

It looks like it has some very nice buildings. Some revitalization is needed, but good bones nonetheless. I can't help but imagine what this type of built environment would look like if it was in Canada. I see it being more vibrant both with the look/upkeep of the buildings as well as more people walking around.

[blade_bltz]

Fascinating. Holyoke is often considered the worst city in MA. It's great to see the downtown area in such good shape, all things considered.

[ColDayMan]

Dare I say it? HOLYSMOKE!

[Thundertubs]

Nice! I drove through Holyoke once in the rain and was glad to see it more in-depth here. It's one of those cities that is fun but sad to imagine how it used to be. Very solid structures.

Excellent tour!

-

Freshman year of high school a friend and I got kicked out of a pre-graduation ceremony for the seniors because we couldn't stop laughing after a speaker said "Mount Holyoke". It sounded like "Mount Holio", ala Beavis and Butthead, to us. Ah, maturity.

[pip]

Looks like a city to explore. Nice pictures.

This is the one time and the city I got mugged in. Went to Westfied State College one semester and worked in the Holyoke Mall part time. Got mugged when I stopped in a fast food store to ask directions on my out back to my car.

Beautiful part of the State. The Poconos(?) area near Westfield is drop dead gorgeous.

[ChrisLA]

Can't say I would want to live there, but I certainly would visit. Yes it does have potential, there are a lot of beautiful historic buildings to be rehabbed. I could see a lot of lofts here for sure.

One thing I noticed in your photos are a lot of signs in spanish. I'm assuming there is a sizeable Hispanic/Latino population?

[blade_bltz]

Yep. Holyoke has the highest percentage of Puerto Ricans in any city in the country. It's cool because just down the river you've got Hartford, which has boasts the second highest percentage. Unfortunately, however, the PR population in Holyoke is extremely poor. It's not exactly a "vibrant" ethnic hood.

[kcexpress69]

Depressing, yet neat!! At least the city is striving to hang on to its heritage. One renovation at a time.!! Your picture threads tell a story!! Keep it going!!

[stormkingfan]

Drove through once. Didn't have time to stop. This town should have its architectural history preserved. I wouldn't want to see it modernized.

I like the shots of the rr bridge and station. Looks like New York Central vintage. Possibly part of a branch line off the Boston & Albany (NY Central).

[Wheelingman04]

Depressing, but it has a great built environment. I hope to see some rivitalization soon.

[CapitalCity]

Nice tour! And let's not forget that Holyoke is the birthplace of the greatest sport in the world: VOLLEYBALL!!

[plinko]

Richardsonian and industrial bliss. Beautiful architecture. Great photos.

[stormkingfan]

Was in Holyoke a second time. This time, I spent half the day last Sunday walking around and went to church at that big brown stone church you took a couple of pics of. United Church of Christ. Very nice people there.

Nice conversation with owner of one of the bodegas in d'town. Holyoke is a bit depressed, but I felt comfortable there. A place that time left behind. This town is a diamond in the rough. Like I said before, preserve it! Don't turn it into another Springfield. Restore/renovate and use as many old bldgs as possible.

[mSeattle]

I agree. Forget the mall. The city has great potential!

[fueltank]

I was born and raised in this city and looking at these pictures brought back some memories. This was and still is a rough city. I visited some family in Holyoke about a year ago and I was depressed about how bad it looked now...The old buildings have so much potential for office spaces or stores near downtown. I would imagine it can get expensive to revitalize those buildings especially the chances that those buildings would be infested with lead paint and asbestos. Most of those pictures are the very places I hung around most of my time. I noticed that he didn't go deep into the flats which can get pretty scary in there...hehe. But the buildings are still beautiful in there. Most of the buildings where lost by fires or just had been abandoned. Some of those buildings would be great for a studio or a gaming company. But still is a beautiful city if you can see past the graffiti and abuse that it's taken over the years. This use to be one of America's biggest paper suppliers....This is why they call it The Paper City.

[holladay]

This is a fantastic tour! I especially love the industrial areas.