by Bradley Parsons
Staff Writer
A Springfield advocacy group has some big plans for one of the neighborhood’s largest buildings.
Representatives from the Springfield Preservation and Revitalization Council, Inc., are seeking a meeting with Mayor John Peyton to discuss the future of the old Job Corps building at 205 W. 3rd St. The warehouse-sized building has been vacant since Job Corps left in July. SPAR board president Louise DeSpain said she would ask Peyton to include a neighborhood museum in the federally-owned building’s future plans.
The building sits on more than an acre of land directly across from Klutho Park. DeSpain said its size would allow the building to serve several purposes. Other ideas suggested by neighborhood advocates include a Holocaust museum, a medical archive library and a workshop and training facility for historical renovation. Once considered one of the City’s most distressed areas, Springfield’s low property prices and rows of historic homes have attracted a wave of redevelopment that has led a turnaround.
The museum and the workshop would enhance two of Springfield’s prominent assets, its history and accessibility to renovation, said DeSpain. The building is close to several other museums, and adding a museum dedicated to SPAR heritage would provide a valuable resource for families that are increasingly making their way to the neighborhood above State and Union streets, she said.
“We’ve really tried to look for things that would be good, not just for Springfield, but for the entire community,” said DeSpain. “An archive library, a training facility for historical renovations, a museum, these things could turn into a real treasure in that building.”
Whatever ideas the City has for the building will have to wait. As the building’s owner, the federal government stands first in the pecking order to develop. If the federal government passes, the State could take ownership.
The building used to be City owned, but it was deeded into federal hands about 20 years ago to make way for Job Corps. DeSpain told Peyton the building’s future use would, “dramatically impact the area.”
DeSpain hopes to get the ball rolling sooner rather than later. The building has been boarded up since July, but DeSpain said its appearance wasn’t a driving factor in her hopes for a quick turnaround.
“It’s not looking blighted right now, but we do have a definite desire to move on it quickly,” she said. “It’s just a matter of moving it into a constructive use rather than having it sit vacant.”
SPAR has kept a close eye on development in the area. Earlier this year, the group raised questions about Sleiman Enterprise’s interest in building a drug store across the street in Klutho Park. The group welcomed the idea of a drug store in the neighborhood, but asked Sleiman to ensure the design would fit in with the historic look of surrounding development. DeSpain also asked the developer to consider an alternate site.
A representative for Sleiman said the developer would be willing to change the design to mesh with its surroundings and said building in Springfield was only a possibility.