Page 69 - BusinessWest September 19, 2022

Commercial Real Estate
A Landmark Decision
Law Firm Will Write the Next Chapter in History of the Alexander House
Amy Royal first started taking notice of the Alexander House in Springfield when she was a high-school student at nearby MacDuffie, and soon became taken in by its beauty, 200 years of history, and place in the
city. Later, she started viewing the property in a different light — as a potential home for her growing law firm. Earlier this year, that dream came true.
BAy George O’Brien
my Royal says she’s long had an affec- tion for the historic Alexander House in Springfield.
She first took hard notice of it when she
was in high school at MacDuffie, located a mile or so away from the home’s former location on State Street. Back then, she recalled, it was a beautiful home with a lot
of history, and she’s always had
a fondness for structures that fit that description and now lives in
a home that is nearly 250 years old.
Later, after beginning her career as an employment-law attorney and eventually starting her own firm, she started looking at the 6,000-square-foot home, built in 1811, in a much different light — as a place to locate her business.
“I’ve always really, really loved
the building,” she told Business-
West. “Everything about it — the
design, its place in the city’s history ... it’s magnificent.”
These thoughts only intensified after the Alexander House was moved from its long-time location around the corner to Eliot Street to make way for the new fed- eral courthouse in Springfield that eventually opened its doors in late 2008. Royal had business in the courthouse, and eventually found parking a few hundred yards down Eliot Street, necessitating a walk past the Alexander House.
“At that point in time, it was beautiful, but you could tell that it needed a lot of help — even though it had been moved by the federal government, it needed a lot of
Amy Royal, seen at the grand staircase of the historic Alexander House, has long had her eye on the landmark as a home for her business.
BusinessWest COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE SEPTEMBER 19, 2022 69