W C A Boarding House

The W C A Boarding House was a historic boarding house at 19 Bliss Street in Springfield, Massachusetts. Built in 1884 by the Women's Christian Association (WCA), it was one Springfield's few surviving boarding house structures from the 19th century. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.[1] It was demolished to make way for the MGM Springfield casino.[2]

W C A Boarding House
W C A Boarding House, 2012
Location19 Bliss St., Springfield, Massachusetts
Coordinates42°5′59″N 72°35′14″W
Arealess than one acre
Built1884 (1884)
Architectural styleStick/Eastlake, Queen Anne
MPSDowntown Springfield MRA
NRHP reference No.83000776 [1]
Added to NRHPFebruary 24, 1983

Description and history

The W C A Boarding House was located on the east side of Bliss Street, a right of way that formerly ran between Main Street and East Columbus Avenue, roughly dividing the area developed for the MGM casino. It was a three-story brick building, with a flat roof. It was stylistically a restrained version of Queen Anne architecture, with some patterned brickwork, and corbelled brick piers between the window bays. Windows were originally set in segmented-arch openings, and the building at one time sported a three-story Eastlake-style wooden porch.[3]

The building was built in 1884 by the Women's Christian Association (WCA), a social welfare organization that was a predecessor to the Young Women's Christian Association. It was used by the WCA as a space for boarding respectable working class single women. With the construction of a new facility in 1910, the property was operated as a private boarding house. From 1962 the building housed the Springfield Rescue Mission, a social welfare agency.[3] It was demolished about 2012.

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. "Environmental Notification Form: MGM Springfield Casino" (PDF). City of Springfield. Retrieved 2018-03-24.
  3. "NRHP nomination for WCA Boarding House". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved 2013-12-14.
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