Page 58 - BusinessWest Macrh 6, 2023

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History
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to change, as an influx of Puerto Ricans and other Latino groups began to migrate to the Northeast U.S., driven largely by the Farm Labor Program initiated by the U.S. Department of Labor, which recruited Puerto Rican laborers to work on agricultural land; in the case of Holyoke, many worked on tobacco farms and arrived in the city in search of better job opportunities at the mills, as previous generations had.
“In Springfield and Holyoke, housing was inexpen- sive, you had access to 91 and 95, and a lot of them had an agricultural background and were looking for farm work,” Martorell said of the Puerto Rican influx. “So between Hatfield and the tobacco fields along the Connecticut River, they were able to find work pretty quickly once they got here.”
By 1970, the number of Puerto Rican residents numbered around 5,000; however, by that time, many faced a city economy that was struggling. Holy- oke’s mills had closed due to the changing economic
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landscape of early globalization and deindustrializa- tion; from 1955 to 1970, half of all industrial jobs vanished. Despite economic and social difficulties, however, the population grew significantly, and today Latinos form the city’s largest minority group, with the largest Puerto Rican population per capita of any American city outside Puerto Rico proper, at 44.7%.
As for those old industrial buildings, their use is evolving.
“The Skinners, who made silk, sold their com- pany to Indian Head Mills, which was a conglomerate going around buying up textile mills in the late 1950s or early 1960s. They bought the company and then shut it down a few years later,” Martorell said. “And many of the other paper companies had already gone out. Parsons Paper was the first paper company in Holyoke, and they closed their doors in 2005. So that was a pretty good run.”
A few specialty paper and printing companies
deciding where the building should be located. More delays arose during the building of City Hall and were memorialized in Holyoke’s Building Committee reports.
Fortunately, the city’s incorporation in 1873 brought about the reorganization of elected officials and, most importantly, new Building Committee mem- bers who acted quickly and effectively to get the con- struction work back on track ... but it wasn’t a smooth process.
In October 1874, the new Building Committee contracted H.F. Kilburn of New York to serve as archi- tect under the supervision of Watson Ely of Holyoke. In order to facilitate the completion of the building in a timely manner, Ely ordered that everyone that had moved into the unfinished building vacate the building and then closed City Hall during the winter of 1874.
Charles Attwood was the original architect who created the Gothic Revival and Romanesque Revival structural plan in 1871. However, many others con- tributed structural and decorative details, including local builder Casper Ranger, John Delaney, Ecclesi- astical Stained Glass Works, Watson Ely, Henry Kil- burn, Kronenberger and Sons, Filippo Santoro, Ser-
been around for decades, we want them to feel like they have the ability to make change and advocate for what they want,” Murphy-Romboletti said. “We’re really being intentional about creating these spaces for them.”
Uribe said that getting involved in the community has been not just part of the business plan, but some- thing important for the family.
Indeed, they are part of the many festivals that place in the city, and Uribe is the founder of the Paper City Food Festival, which staged its second edition last fall on the section of High Street between Apple- ton and Dwight streets, attracting more than 20 of the city’s restaurants.
“It’s a way for people to come out and see all that this city has to offer,” he told BusinessWest, adding that he engaged the chamber and started the festival to uplift local businesses and celebrate the commu- nity’s heritage and diversity.
remain, but today, many of the old mills along the canals are being repurposed, from cannabis cultiva- tion, manufacturing, and retail operations to the enter- tainment venue known as Gateway City Arts.
Martorell said change has been a constant in Holy- oke, but so has a feeling of promise.
“People in Holyoke love Holyoke. People are com- mitted to being here, and they want to see good things happen for the city,” she told BusinessWest. “And I think the last two mayors have really tried to make an effort to rebrand the city in a more positive way and say that the challenges that we’ve had in the past have made us stronger and more diverse. So we embrace that and celebrate that.” BW
Some information for this article was adapted from the city of Holyoke’s written history and from Wikipedia.
pentino Stained Glass, and Samuel West. Beyond the granite exterior walls, stone steps
and pavers, and slate roof, other building materials include random ashlar, galvanized iron, glass, lead, marble, wood, brick, sheet metal, and copper.
One of the most important historical and stately features of Holyoke City Hall is the looming clock and bell tower. The imperial tower stands 225 feet high and houses a bell that weighs nearly 5,000 pounds. The clock’s face is composed of two-inch-thick Bel- gium milk glass. Sadly, the clock was inoperable and the bell was silent for decades. Thanks to Friends
of City Hall, David Cotton, and a team of volunteers, the clock was restored after completing hundreds of hours of repairs, and on July 4, 2018, the clock was lit up and began keeping time again after almost 30 years.
But back to City Hall itself. As of July 1876, it had not been dedicated, and research has not found any indication it was ever dedicated. It’s time to remedy that. BW
Penni Martorell is Holyoke’s city historian and curator at Wistariahurst.
Bottom Line
There was much to celebrate at last October’s food festival, and, similarly, there is much to celebrate with this city’s business community as it turns 150.
There is diversity. There is change. There is vibran- cy. And, overall, there is a wider pipeline of new busi- nesses, entrepreneurs like the Uribe family and Jeff Cattell and Joseph Charles.
Together, they are not just filling storefronts on High Street. They are energizing a city and writing an intriguing new chapter in its long and distinguished business history. BW
City Hall
Transcript. And as history so often reveals itself in layers, there are likely many more stories about the building. So here is some background information and details about the construction.
The total financial outlay to build this magnificent building, when all was said and done, was $372,000 in 1876. (Additional research done by the Historical Commission indicates that final cost was closer to $500,000 at the time.) In any case, in today’s money, that would be more than $10 million.
The town of Holyoke was established by an act of Massachusetts Congress Chapter 71 and signed into law On March 14, 1850 by Gov. George Nixon Briggs. The town’s first board meetings were held in rented meeting halls like Chapin Hall, Parsons Hall, and the Exchange Hall. A separate selectmen’s office was rent- ed starting in 1861. The largest financial challenges for the town at that time were fees to West Springfield in relation to the contract of separation.
Constructing a building of this size and character was not an easy task, nor was it inexpensive. Delays and contractual issues increased the amount of time and money it took to complete this monumental undertaking. Unfortunately, division arose early on
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Business
part of a growing, more diverse business community. Murphy-Romboletti agreed.
“The chamber has created a very welcoming envi-
ronment, especially for my entrepreneurs who are not familiar with networking and are often so focused on being in the business and not necessarily working on the business,” she explained. “I think the chamber creates this environment where people can step away from the cash register or step away from the kitchen and connect with the community and build those rela- tionships so they can be successful and really be part of the community; that’s been really valuable.”
In addition to helping individuals start a business and move it to the next level, agencies like the cham- ber and EforAll are working to get them involved in the community and take ownership of efforts to revi- talize High Street and, overall, improve the landscape for business in the city.
“Whether it’s a new business or a business that’s