HISTORY
60 Byers Street is a very distinctive house, it is one of the few Modern style houses in Springfield. It dates from the mid-19th century but was totally transformed by local architect Thurston Munson in the early 1950s for his own residence. The house appears to step down the hillside in a series of levels and features concrete panels, decorative brickwork, curved surfaces with band windows, and corner windows.
THREAT
The City foreclosed on this modernist house in 2010 and did not address a leaking roof. It sold the property to the current owner in 2018. Rehabilitation assistance in the amount of $40K was offered by the Casino Mitigation Preservation Fund. A new roof was installed in the autumn of 2019. Fire struck the uninsured building in January 2020, and the owner was required to submit an updated rehabilitation plan and timeline to the city’s Housing Office. The property has been reverted back to the City, and we are waiting for another RFP to be issued.