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Greenfield Savings Bank Donates $50,000 to Iron Horse Music Hall

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Daily News

NORTHAMPTON — Greenfield Savings Bank announced it is making a donation of $50,000 to the Parlor Room Collective in support of its $750,000 capital campaign to revive the Iron Horse Music Hall in downtown Northampton.

The Parlor Room Collective, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to enhance the health and vitality of the community through the power of music, purchased the Iron Horse last fall and launched a capital campaign to raise funds for renovations and updates to the historic music venue. Updates included expanding to the neighboring storefront at 18 Center St. and putting in 10 bathrooms on the first floor.

The Iron Horse reopened its doors to the public for the first time on May 15 to a sold-out crowd with Taylor Ashton and Rachael & Vilray playing to an audience eager to celebrate the return of this beloved venue. Chris Freeman, executive director of the Parlor Room Collective, said the gift from Greenfield Savings Bank will help cover the costs of the extensive renovations that have made the Iron Horse a more accessible space, as well as the startup costs for the restaurant and the staff more than doubling in size to account for the new venue and restaurant.

Along with the bar space and bathrooms, Iron Horse updates include flooring, lighting, HVAC, and a new sound system. These updates prioritize the customer and artist experience, making the space more comfortable and accessible than ever before.

“Greenfield Savings Bank is proud to play a role in the restoration and redevelopment of this great community icon. As a local mutual bank, GSB is committed to supporting a wide range of local nonprofit organizations and initiatives that enhance and improve the quality of life in the communities we serve in Franklin and Hampshire counties,” said Thomas Meshako, president and CEO of Greenfield Savings Bank. “We congratulate the Iron Horse team and the city of Northampton for their vision and dedication to bringing this venue back to life. The combination of the Parlor Room with the Iron Horse will add to the revitalization of Northampton being the music destination that it once was. We look forward to attending many wonderful shows in downtown Northampton for years to come.”

Sponsors like Greenfield Savings Bank are integral to the success of the Iron Horse as it once again becomes a destination for local, regional, and national audiences.

“We’re dedicated to creating an inclusive space that celebrates art, artists, and community,” Freeman said.

Florence Bank Donates $100,000 to Iron Horse Music Hall

By
Daily News

FLORENCE — Florence Bank recently announced it has donated $100,000 to the Iron Horse Music Hall, supporting a $750,000 capital campaign for renovations and updates to the well-loved music venue in downtown Northampton, which reopens on May 15.

Chris Freeman, executive director of the Parlor Room Collective in Northampton, which purchased the Iron Horse last fall and has been updating it since, said the bank’s gift will help fund ongoing work to the venue at 20 Center St.

He explained that the collective has already expanded the Iron Horse into a storefront next door that formerly housed a Christian meeting space, and is in the process of moving the bar into that new space, along with 10 bathrooms. The bathrooms in the basement of the venue will be updated and reserved for visiting artists only; the remainder of that downstairs space will be remodeled to be “more artist-friendly,” and artists alone will be able to access the area, Freeman said.

Other work being undertaken at the music hall includes the installation of a new sound system, lighting, flooring, and an HVAC unit for cleaner, fresher air.

“Florence Bank is a big community supporter. They were our first corporate ask,” Freeman said, noting that the Parlor Room Collective is running the capital campaign for the Iron Horse through the bank. “Florence Bank understands our mission, our vision for what the Iron Horse can become. We’re so grateful they stepped up in such a huge way.”

He added that, when the Parlor Room became a nonprofit, it leaned into Florence Bank for funds to start an open-mic series, a program that has since become self-sustainable. “Without that early gift from Florence Bank, we wouldn’t have been able to get it started,” he said.

The Parlor Room is a small listening room in Northampton, founded 11 years ago as a facet of the Signature Sounds record label. Freeman was a musician in a band that recorded on the Signature Sounds label in those days, becoming more involved with the Parlor Room after the pandemic. In 2022, the Parlor Room became a nonprofit and is now known as the Parlor Room Collective.

Florence Bank President and CEO Matt Garrity said the Iron Horse has been at the core of the local music scene since its founding in 1979, and the bank is proud to support the Parlor Room Collective’s revival of the venue.

“We value the collective’s mission-based approach to the return of the Iron Horse,” Garrity said. “The Iron Horse has long been a space in which local patrons and musicians from far and wide can celebrate art, music, and community, and we look forward to the return of that energy.”

The Iron Horse is still seeking donations and sponsorships. Learn more at ironhorse.org/revive-the-iron-horse.

“It’s such a fun cause to fundraise for,” Freeman said. “So many people have memories about being at the Iron Horse. It’s an amazing spot. We’re incredibly grateful to the bank and the whole community.”

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