The Flats is a neighborhood in

Holyoke, Massachusetts Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, that lies between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 38,238. Located north of Springfield ...

located to the east of the city center, adjacent to the downtown. Although it lies at one of the lowest elevations in Holyoke, its name derives not from topography but from the brick tenement "

flats Flat or flats may refer to: Architecture * Flat (housing), an apartment in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and other Commonwealth countries Arts and entertainment * Flat (music), a symbol () which denotes a lower pitch * Flat (soldier), ...

" which characterized its architecture throughout much of its history. Historically the area has also been associated with the name Depot Hill, as it was the location of the city's first freight and passenger railway stations; passenger service was restored at

Holyoke station Holyoke station is an Amtrak intercity train station near the corner of Main and Dwight streets in Holyoke, Massachusetts, United States. The station opened on August 27, 2015, eight months after Amtrak's '' Vermonter'' service was re-routed to ...

in 2015, following a period of absence after 1967. A section of the neighborhood between Lyman and Appleton Street to north and south respectively, and between Race and Bowers Street to the east and west is also known as Depot Square. Today the area features the Holyoke Innovation District,

Canal System Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or river engineering, engineered channel (geography), channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport watercraft, vehicles (e.g. ...

, Hadley Falls Company Housing District, Marcella Kelly Elementary School, local Amtrak station and of residential, commercial, and industrial zoning. The Flats faced mass depopulation following the issuance of city master plans in 1961 and 1968, which called for its conversion from mixed zoning to entirely industrial land use; from 1970 to 1980 this

urban renewal Urban renewal (also called urban regeneration in the United Kingdom and urban redevelopment in the United States) is a program of land redevelopment often used to address urban decay in cities. Urban renewal involves the clearing out of blighte ...

initiative, combined with fires from substandard housing conditions and arson, reduced the number of housing units in the neighborhood by 41%. In recent years municipal and state authorities have sought to redevelop the neighborhood as a startup company incubator and cultural center through the creation of the Innovation District and Canalwalk. Proposals have also been put forth for redevelopment of the historic

H. H. Richardson Henry Hobson Richardson, FAIA (September 29, 1838 – April 27, 1886) was an American architect, best known for his work in a style that became known as Richardsonian Romanesque. Along with Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright, Richardson is one ...

train station as well as the Hotel Jess/Perkins Block. While not on the National Register of Historic Places, the latter holds historical significance as it was constructed by Benjamin F. Perkins, a contemporary of

Alexander Graham Bell Alexander Graham Bell (, born Alexander Bell; March 3, 1847 – August 2, 1922) was a Scottish-born inventor, scientist and engineer who is credited with patenting the first practical telephone. He also co-founded the American Telephone and Te ...

, who had manufactured and demonstrated early telephone equipment personally for the inventor during his visits to Holyoke, and whose eponymous block was the first headquarters of the Springfield Telephone and Automatic Signal Company, a division of the Bell company, and Western Massachusetts' first

telephone exchange A telephone exchange, telephone switch, or central office is a telecommunications system used in the public switched telephone network (PSTN) or in large enterprises. It interconnects telephone subscriber lines or virtual circuits of digital syst ...

, established in 1878. That same year the building became one of two sites for the world's first public-use

toll line Toll may refer to: Transportation * Toll (fee) A toll is a fee charged for the use of a road or waterway. History Tolls usually had to be paid at strategic locations such as bridges (sometimes called a bridge toll) or gates. In Europe, ...

, which connected

Springfield Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queenslan ...

and Holyoke when it entered service on June 15, 1878.

References

External links

Neighborhoods in Holyoke, Massachusetts {{DEFAULTSORT:Flats Holyoke