Relocating the Springfield Art & Historical Society

The Miller Art Center has been the home of the Springfield Art & Historical Society for the past 60 years.
http://eagletimes.villagesoup.com/p/relocating-the-springfield-art-historical-society/1371468

Relocating the Springfield Art & Historical Society By Hugh and Bunni Putnam | Jul 05, 2015 Photo by: Courtesy The Miller Art Center has been the home of the Springfield Art & Historical Society for the past 60 years. SPRINGFIELD — What happens when you have the most iconic, three-story, Victorian house in town donated to you to be used as an art and historical center? You get very excited and think it is just the best thing that could ever happen to you. Now fast forward 60 years. The tile roof needs repair, the brick needs to be re-pointed, the wooden trim is rotting, there is a tree growing out of one of the chimneys because you have not been able to afford to run the heat in the winter, one of the walls of the Carriage House is collapsing, and you have no funds to fix any of the above problems or any of the other smaller problems. After much discussion, last year the trustees voted to put the house on the market and hoped someone, with a lot of money, would fall in love with it and want to restore it to all its former beauty. In the meantime, we began a search for a place to house three-floors of town history and art in case someone actually made an offer to buy the house. The security of the collection and what the society could afford were our criteria. Accordingly, we had to eliminate the very old, wooden buildings on Main Street from our list of possibilities. Other places we visited were either too expensive or needed a lot of structural work that, once again, would leave us with no financial cushion. Well, we did get an offer from a Connecticut couple who love the house and want to turn it back into a home — their home. They are excited that so much of the original interior has remained intact. It is the best thing that could happen to the house. It needs a lot of love and work — we all loved it, but we do not have the money to do the work. We are negotiating with Cota & Cota to relocate to the former Probate Office on Route 106 in North Springfield. The space is smaller than we would like but it is newly renovated and ready to move in. It has good visibility and parking, and we can operate year-round. The rent is closer to what we can afford but we are going to need to raise about $18,000 per year to become an active society and not just a warehouse for Springfield’s artifacts. So, with that said, we hope the community will support our amazing history. Our basic membership is $20. If you can afford more it would be a great help. Our mailing address will continue to be P.O. Box 313, Springfield, 05156. Our plan is to be settled in time for a grand open house at our Annual Meeting Oct. 17. More details will be forthcoming. Our latest fundraiser is a 2016 Historic Photo Calendar which sells for $10. They are on sale around town (Woodburys, Images, Around the Corner Barber Shop, Bibens, Young’s Furniture, to name a few) or call 802-886-8430 (Putnams) or contact a trustee to purchase a copy. In the meantime, Bunni & Hugh Putnam will lead a “Walking Tour of Main Street” complete with old photographs scheduled for 3 p.m. Sunday, July 12, ponsored, in part, by the Claremont Savings Bank. We will meet at the parking lot in front of the Methodist Church. Hope to see you there. The tour is free, but we would gladly accept donations to help cover our upcoming move.