An iconic Springfield landmark will go up for auction on Monday.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – An iconic Springfield landmark will go up for auction on Monday.
The Massasoit House-Paramount Theater has sat on Main Street in Springfield for almost 200 years now. It opened as a hotel in 1843 and was remodeled into a theater in 1929. It’s been vacant for nearly a decade.
According to the Springfield Preservation Trust, the current owner, the New England Farm Workers Council eventually redeveloped the space into a nightclub called the Hippodrome, which was open from 1999 to 2011. Then, they planned to redevelop again, but plans fell through and the building has been empty ever since.
The theater was added to the Trust’s 2024 Most Endangered Historic Resources List. The properties on that list have architectural and historical significance and are of great importance to Springfield but are in danger of demolition or disrepair.
Now, it’s set to be sold again on Monday with an estimated price of nearly $2 million.
“Massasoit House-Paramount Theater is a major economic development opportunity,” says Trust
President Erica Swallow. “The building is prime real estate and has been touted as a potential
‘bookend’ for Main Street redevelopment. We believe in that vision—but the right developer
needs to be selected for the opportunity. We cannot let that building sit unused for another
decade. The Trust would like to see the City of Springfield or the Springfield Redevelopment
Authority steps in to purchase the building, to have a voice in the process of redevelopment. With recent RFP successes, the City is best-positioned to see this through.”
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