Apremont Triangle Historic District is a historic district in Springfield, Massachusetts, located at the junction of Pearl, Hillman, Bridge, and Chestnut Streets in its Metro Center district. The Apremont Triangle Historic District includes the Apremont Triangle Park, nicknamed "the Heart of Springfield" by the city's arts community; the historic, 10-story Kimball Towers Condominiums, (formerly the luxurious

Hotel Kimball The Kimball Towers Condominiums (originally known as The Hotel Kimball and later The Sheraton-Kimball Hotel) is a historic former hotel, located in Springfield, Massachusetts, at 140 Chestnut Street, in Metro Center's Apremont Triangle Historic D ...

- "Western Massachusetts' Leading Hotel - built in 1910;) a nine-story historic, former

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams (philanthropist), Georg ...

, which now houses apartments at 122 Chestnut Street, (1915); the six-story

Neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

Tarbell-Waters Building (1923), a former office building that was auctioned in August 2011; the two-story Harris-Green building, a 1920s

Rolls-Royce Rolls-Royce (always hyphenated) may refer to: * Rolls-Royce Limited, a British manufacturer of cars and later aero engines, founded in 1906, now defunct Automobiles * Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the current car manufacturing company incorporated in ...

showroom, which is, actually, two buildings; and the two-story Birnie Building, a 1930s

Pontiac Pontiac may refer to: *Pontiac (automobile), a car brand *Pontiac (Ottawa leader) ( – 1769), a Native American war chief Places and jurisdictions Canada *Pontiac, Quebec, a municipality ** Apostolic Vicariate of Pontiac, now the Roman Catholic D ...

showroom. Currently, the district is the center of Springfield's bohemian arts community, featuring multi-media organizations, artists' lofts, ethnic restaurants, and organizations like The Apremont Arts Community - group of multi-media artists, non-profit organizations, and businesses. Located in a

walkable Walkability is a term for planning concepts best understood by the mixed-use of amenities in high-density neighborhoods where people can access said amenities by foot. It is based on the idea that urban spaces should be more than just transport ...

area, the Apremont Triangle Historic District is less than half a mile from Springfield's Club Quarter, its Downtown Business District,

Union Station A union station (also known as a union terminal, a joint station in Europe, and a joint-use station in Japan) is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway companies, allowing passengers to ...

, the Quadrangle, the MassMutual Center, Symphony Hall, the

Springfield Armory The Springfield Armory, more formally known as the United States Armory and Arsenal at Springfield located in the city of Springfield, Massachusetts, was the primary center for the manufacture of United States military firearms from 1777 until ...

, and numerous other sites.

2011 sales of 122 Chestnut and the Tarbell-Waters Building

As of June 2011, the

Renaissance Revival Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range o ...

122 Chestnut - the former

building that was, during the 1980s, adaptively re-used to become 99 rental apartments - and the

Tarbell-Waters Buildings are both for sale. These are two of the five properties that constitute the Apremont Triangle Historic District. The buyer of these properties could substantially change the character of the Apremont Triangle Historic District, which in recent years has flourished as an increasingly bohemian arts district. The asking price for 122 Chestnut is 6.5 million, including an attached 144 car parking lot. Residents of the Apremont Triangle Historic District look at dual building sales with both caution and optimism, because in recent years, the neighborhood has had great success in attracting artistic and bohemian residents to the Kimball Towers, 122 Chestnut, the Birnie Building, and the McIntosh - an adaptively re-purposed shoe factory on Worthington Street. However, precisely because the neighborhood has been on an upward trajectory for years; the sale of two of the district's most important buildings are temporarily, in 2011, depressing market values at the Kimball and McIntosh, reflected in 1 bedroom units selling in the $30,000s-$80,000s.

Apremont Triangle Park

The Apremont Triangle Park was named after Springfield's 104th Infantry - the first U.S. military regiment ever honored by a foreign power for bravery in war. Following the 104th Infantry's valor at Apremont during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, it received the Croix de Guerre from the Nation of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. The Apremont Triangle Park is named in honor of the U.S. 104th Infantry Regiment's heroism at Apremont. In the park, there is monument to the 104th Infantry, Springfield's own, noting its heroism at Apremont. Amazingly, again in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, the 104th Infantry Regiment again received the prestigious Croix de Guerre for its valor at war. In World War II, the 104th Infantry fought under

General George Patton George Smith Patton Jr. (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945) was a general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh United States Army in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, and the Third United States Army in France ...

and in the

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted from 16 December 1944 to 28 January 1945, towards the end of the war in ...

Kimball Towers Condominiums

The

was once "Western Massachusetts finest hotel." Built in 1910, and opened on St. Patrick's Day, 1911, the New York Times reviewed the Hotel Kimball as "ranking with the finest otelsin the country. A magnificent hotel, modern and metropolitan in every appointment." In 1920 it hosted the United States' first-ever commercial radio station - WBZ, Springfield. U.S. Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and John F. Kennedy all stayed at The Kimball - some before and some after the 1940s transition into the Sheraton-Kimball Hotel, operated by Sheraton Hotels and Resorts. The Kimball was the first "grand hotel" purchased by Sheraton, a company that was, at the time, headquartered in Springfield. Today, the Hotel Kimball is the Kimball Towers Condominiums. During the 1980s, when the building's condo developer was converting over 300 hotel rooms to approximately 120 condominiums, he filed for bankruptcy. Many of the Kimball's units, (especially those on the lower floors,) were left in disrepair or completely bare. From the 1990s until the 2000s, the building was managed by the

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) is one of two agencies that supply deposit insurance to depositors in American depository institutions, the other being the National Credit Union Administration, which regulates and insures cr ...

because - due to it historic designation - it could not be torn down. In the 2000s, urban living in Metro Center Springfield became popular, especially among bohemians, artists, empty-nesters, and LGBT residents - people attracted to urban living without the high price. The Kimball Towers, due to its low-prices (from its formerly troubled history as a condominium development) and essentially 'blank canvas' left by the initial condominium developer, became a center for Springfield's arts community. As of 2011, it is one of Springfield's most prominent buildings for artists, bohemians, and others in the

creative class The creative class is the posit of American urban studies theorist Richard Florida for an ostensible socioeconomic class. Florida, a professor and head of the Martin Prosperity Institute at the Rotman School of Management at the University of To ...

References

{{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts History of Springfield, Massachusetts Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Tourist attractions in Springfield, Massachusetts Parks in Springfield, Massachusetts Urban public parks Buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Springfield, Massachusetts Neighborhoods in Springfield, Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Springfield, Massachusetts

2011 sales of 122 Chestnut and the Tarbell-Waters Building

Apremont Triangle Park

Kimball Towers Condominiums

See also

References