Editing Springfield, Massachusetts (section)

===Architecture===
{{See also|List of tallest buildings in Springfield, Massachusetts}}
[[File:UnityChurch.jpg|thumb|right|Unity Church (1869), the first commission of architect [[Henry Hobson Richardson|H. H. Richardson]]; demolished  1961.]]
[[File:SpringfieldMA MattoonStreet 2.jpg|thumb|right|Victorian-era rowhouses]]
{{multiple image
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   | footer = [[Monarch Place]] (left); [[Tower Square (Springfield, Massachusetts)|Tower Square]] (right), also known as the MassMutual Tower
   | image1 = Monarch Place as seen from Steiger Park during day, Springfield, Massachusetts.jpg
   | image2 = Tower Square (BayState West, MassMutual Tower), Springfield, Massachusetts.jpg}}

In addition to its nickname ''The City of Firsts'', Springfield is known as ''The City of Homes'' for its attractive architecture, which differentiates it from most medium-size, Northeastern American cities. Most of Springfield's housing stock consists of Victorian "[[Painted Ladies]]" (similar to those found in San Francisco); however, Springfield also features [[Gilded Age]] mansions, urban condominiums buildings, brick apartment blocks, and more suburban post-World War II architecture (in the Sixteen Acres and Pine Point neighborhoods). While Springfield's architecture is attractive, much of its built-environment stems from the 19th and early 20th centuries when the city experienced a period of "intense and concentrated prosperity"—today, its Victorian architecture can be found in various states of rehabilitation and disrepair. As of 2011, Springfield's housing prices are considerably lower than nearby New England cities which do not feature such intricate architecture.

In Metro Center, stands the two prominent skyscrapers, Tower Square, and [[Monarch Place]], the latter of which is the tallest building in Massachusetts outside of Boston. Many of the city's Victorian buildings including former hotels, factories, and other institutions have been converted into apartment buildings and luxury condominiums. For example, Springfield's ornate Classical High School (235 State Street), with its immense Victorian atrium—where Dr. Seuss, Timothy Leary, and Taj Mahal all went to high school—is now a luxury condominium building. The [[Hotel Kimball]], (140 Chestnut Street), which hosted several U.S. Presidents as guests and once featured the United States' first commercial radio station (WBZ), has been converted into The [[Kimball Towers Condominiums]].<ref name="hammondmuseumofradio.org">{{cite web|author=Paul Cassel|url=http://www.hammondmuseumofradio.org/wbz-dhalper.html|title=WBZ and WBZA in the 20s and 30s|publisher=Hammondmuseumofradio.org|access-date=June 10, 2011|archive-date=July 21, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721065410/http://www.hammondmuseumofradio.org/wbz-dhalper.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The former McIntosh Shoe Company (158 Chestnut Street), one of Springfield's finest examples of the [[Chicago school (architecture)|Chicago School of Architecture]], has been converted into industrial-style condominiums; and the red-brick, former Milton Bradley toy factory is now Stockbridge Court Apartments (45 Willow Street). In the Ridgewood Historic District, the 1950s-futurist Mulberry House (101 Mulberry Street), is now a condominium building that features some of the finest views of Springfield.

[[Forest Park, Springfield, Massachusetts|Forest Park (and Forest Park Heights)]], surrounding by the {{convert|735|acre|ha|1}} [[Forest Park (Springfield, Massachusetts)|Forest Park]], is a New England Garden District featuring more than 600 [[Victorian era|Victorian]] [[Painted Ladies]]. The [[McKnight, Springfield, Massachusetts (and Mason Square)|McKnight National Historic District]], America's first planned residential neighborhood, (1881), features more than 900 Victorian Painted Ladies, many of which have been rehabilitated by Springfield's growing [[LGBT]] community. The Old Hill, Upper Hill, and Bay neighborhoods also feature this type of architecture.

Maple High, which is architecturally (and geographically) distinct from, but often included with Springfield's economically depressed [[Six Corners]] neighborhood, was Springfield's first "Gold Coast". Many mansions from the early 19th century and later [[gilded age]] stand atop a bluff on Maple Street, overlooking the Connecticut River. The Ridgewood Historic district on Ridgewood and Mulberry Streets also feature historic mansions from the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Springfield—like many mid-size Northeastern cities, e.g., Hartford, [[Albany, New York|Albany]], and New Haven—from the 1950s to the 1970s, razed a significant number of historic commercial buildings in the name of [[urban renewal]]. In 1961, this included Unity Church, the first building designed by the young [[Henry Hobson Richardson]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ochsner |first1=Jeffrey Karl |author-link1=Jeffrey Karl Ochsner |title=H.H. Richardson: Complete Architectural Works |year=1982 |publisher=MIT Press |location=Cambridge, Massachusetts |isbn=978-0-262-65015-1 |page=[https://archive.org/details/hhrichardsoncomp00ochs/page/25 25] |url=https://archive.org/details/hhrichardsoncomp00ochs/page/25 }}</ref> Springfield's Metro Center remains more aesthetically cohesive than many its peer cities; however, as elsewhere, the city currently features a patchwork of parking lots and grand old buildings. Current efforts are underway to improve the cohesion of Springfield's Metro Center, including the completed Main Street and State Street Corridor improvement projects, the upcoming $70&nbsp;million renovation to Springfield's 1926 Union Station and the renovation of the Epiphany Tower on State Street into a new hotel. New constructions include the architecturally award-winning, $57&nbsp;million [[Moshe Safdie]]-designed Federal Building on State Street.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.springfieldcityhall.com/planning/248.0.html |title=City of Springfield, Mass.: Alphabetical Project Update List |publisher=Springfieldcityhall.com |date=September 9, 2010 |access-date=May 13, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716123525/http://www.springfieldcityhall.com/planning/248.0.html |archive-date=July 16, 2011 |url-status=dead  }}</ref>