Metro Center, Springfield, Massachusetts facts for kids

Metro Center is the oldest part of Springfield, Massachusetts, a city in the United States. It's right next to the Connecticut River. Today, Metro Center is a busy place with many important cultural spots, businesses, and government buildings in Western Massachusetts. It's also becoming a popular place for people to live. About 7,000 people lived here in 2010. A big highway, Interstate 91, built in 1958, separates Metro Center from the river.

Springfield's skyline with Monarch Place and Tower Square are the tallest buildings in Metro Center.

Early History of Metro Center

Human history in the Connecticut River Valley goes back at least 9,000 years. Native American groups, like the Agawam Indians, lived here for thousands of years. They fished, gardened, hunted, and buried their dead in the area.

Around 1634, a terrible sickness, likely smallpox, greatly reduced the Native American population. This encouraged English colonists to settle the region.

Founding of Agawam Plantation

In 1636, William Pynchon and a group of pioneers bought the land that is now Metro Center from the Agawam Native people. They called it Agawam Plantation. Eighteen Agawam Indians signed the agreement.

At first, Agawam Plantation was the northernmost settlement on the Connecticut River. It was part of the Connecticut Colony. However, within ten years, disagreements arose between the leaders of Agawam and Newtown (now Hartford) about how to deal with Native Americans. Springfield wanted peaceful trade, while Hartford had fought a war to claim its land. Because of these differences, Agawam joined the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1640. William Pynchon became the leader, and the town was renamed Springfield, after Pynchon's hometown in England.

Springfield's Early Importance

Metro Center Springfield was founded on the Connecticut River, just north of the first falls that large ships couldn't pass. This meant that all river trade and travel going north had to go through Springfield. In early colonial times, Springfield was a very important trading post on the Connecticut River. Pynchon and other colonists made a lot of money from trading furs with the Agawam Indians. However, they also used different ways, like debt, to take more and more land from the Agawam people.

In 1675, during King Philip's War, Native Americans attacked Springfield. They burned over 75% of the town, which at that time was only Metro Center. After the war, some people thought about leaving the settlement completely.

Growth and Development

In 1777, George Washington and Henry Knox decided to build the U.S. National Arsenal at Springfield on a hill overlooking Metro Center. They chose this spot because of Springfield's location on a major river, its good farmland, and its closeness to other big cities like Boston and New York. After this, Springfield started to grow beyond just Metro Center.

By 1813, the green area in the middle of Metro Center was officially named Court Square. This square had been the center of public life since the town was founded. It remained important until Springfield's first train station was built in the 1830s.

The arrival of the railroad in the 1830s brought great wealth to Springfield. Goods from all over the country passed through Springfield on their way to other cities. Springfield became the main railroad hub for Western New England.

Culture and Entertainment

Metro Center is home to many of Western Massachusetts' most important cultural places.

Museums and History

• The Springfield Armory National Park has a museum with the world's largest collection of historic firearms.
• Next to the Armory is the Quadrangle, a group of amazing museums:
  • The George Walter Vincent Smith Museum has the largest collection of Chinese cloisonné (a type of enamel artwork) outside of China.
  • The Museum of Fine Arts has a strong collection of European Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings by artists like Monet and Degas. It also features American art, including works by Springfielder James McNeill Whistler.
  • The Springfield Science Museum has the first American planetarium (built in 1937), a Dinosaur Hall, and a live animal center.
  • The Connecticut River Valley History Museum tells the story of the historic valley and its people.
  • The Wood Museum of Springfield History shows how Springfield became known as The City of Firsts in American history.

Live Entertainment

• Springfield Symphony Hall at Court Square is famous for its "perfect acoustics." It hosts performances by the Springfield Symphony Orchestra and traveling Broadway shows.
• The Community Music School of Springfield offers music programs.
• The MassMutual Center hosts large rock concerts, conventions, and is home to Springfield's professional hockey team, the American Hockey League's Springfield Thunderbirds.
• Nearby, you can find Rascal's, a comedy club, and City Stage, a small playhouse that puts on different kinds of shows, from serious plays to children's entertainment.

The Club Quarter

The area around Stearns Square has been Springfield's Club Quarter for over 120 years. It continues to grow, with more than 70 clubs, bars, and restaurants. Some places, like Smith's Billiards and The Student Prince, have been around since the early 1900s. The Duryea brothers built the first American gasoline-powered car on Taylor Street, which is now part of this area.

City Design and Transportation

Springfield's downtown is very easy to walk around, much like older European cities. It has a mix of homes, businesses, and public buildings. Many buildings were built in the late 1800s and early 1900s, giving it a Victorian look, but there are also modern skyscrapers.

Building Heights

From 1908 to 1971, the Massachusetts State Legislature limited building heights in Springfield to 125 feet. This means Springfield has a lower skyline compared to other cities of its size. Today, urban planners see this as a good thing, as it kept the city more "human-scale" instead of tearing down older, smaller buildings.

Transportation Hub

Springfield's Union Station, built in 1926, is getting a $75 million renovation to become a major transportation center. Bus companies like Peter Pan Bus and Greyhound will move their headquarters there.

This project will also bring two new train lines:

• A southbound line to New Haven, Connecticut, which will be a "high-speed" train reaching speeds up to 110 miles per hour.
• A northbound line connecting Springfield with towns along the Connecticut River, eventually going to Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

While these large projects are happening, Springfield's main streets, Main Street and State Street, have also been improved with artistic crosswalks and decorative streetlights.

Interstate 91's Impact

Metro Center offers quick access to major highways like I-91 and I-291, which connect to the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90). This makes it easy to travel by car to cities like Boston, Albany, and New York City.

However, the elevated I-91 highway, built in 1958, cut off Springfield from its riverfront. This has made it harder for people to access the Connecticut River and nearby parks, including the Basketball Hall of Fame complex. This design has caused economic and social problems, making the river less accessible for fun and tourism. City officials are looking for ways to fix this issue in the future.

Buildings in Metro Center

Homes and Living

Metro Center's homes were once the most desired in Springfield. Today, they are becoming popular again, especially for people who like city living without high costs, such as artists and older adults whose children have grown up. The homes include Victorian houses, red-brick row houses, and old buildings that have been turned into apartments or lofts.

Examples include:

• The Kimball Towers, a former 4-star hotel.
• Classical High School Condominiums, a historic high school.
• The McIntosh, an old factory.
• Pearl Street Luxury Condos, a renovated art deco apartment building.
• Stockbridge Court, a former Milton Bradley toy factory.
• 122 Chestnut Street, a former YMCA building.

The Quadrangle-Mattoon Street Historic District is known for its historic, restored red-brick Victorian row houses and tree-lined streets. This area hosts a large arts festival called "The Mattoon Street Arts Festival" every fall.

Government Buildings

Metro Center has many important government buildings for Springfield and Western Massachusetts:

• The Greek Revival Springfield City Hall.
• The Hampden County Courthouse and the Richardsonian Romanesque Juvenile Courthouse, designed by famous architect H.H. Richardson.
• The ornate, neo-classical Springfield Municipal Group, dedicated by U.S. President William Howard Taft. It features a 300-foot tall Italianate campanile (bell tower) that stands over Court Square.
• The new Federal Courthouse on State Street, designed by famous architect Moshe Safdie.
• Massachusetts' new Data Center, which is a renovated version of Springfield's original Technical High School.

Libraries and Schools

The City of Springfield's grand Public Library is in Metro Center. It has the second largest number of books checked out in New England, after Boston's library.

Metro Center also has three higher education institutions:

• Cambridge College at Tower Square.
• The University of Massachusetts Amherst's Urban Design Center at Court Square.
• Springfield Technical Community College, which has over 6,500 students.

Businesses and Offices

Metro Center is the main business area of Western Massachusetts. About 17,000 business people work here. It is home to many international, national, regional, and local businesses, including:

• Fortune 100 company MassMutual Financial.
• Peter Pan Bus.
• Merriam Webster (known for its dictionaries).
• The American Hockey League.
• The Northeastern headquarters of TD Banknorth.
• Baystate Health, Massachusetts' third largest company.

Parks in Metro Center

Metro Center has several important parks:

• Court Square: This has been a central feature of the city since it was founded in 1636.
• Stearns Square: Designed by famous artists Stanford White and August St. Gaudens, it's in the heart of Springfield's Club Quarter.
• Tower Square Park: A green park located on top of a skyscraper.
• Center Square: A well-designed park on Main Street, bordering the Club Quarter and downtown business area.
• Merrick Park: Located by the Quadrangle, its main purpose is to display Augustus St. Gaudens' famous bronze sculpture, The Puritan.
• Pynchon Park: A modern concrete park with trees and a unique elevator.
• Connecticut River Walk Park: A walkway and bikeway that was damaged by the 2011 Greater Springfield tornado. Before that, it was rarely used because Interstate 91 blocked access to it. However, if you can get there, it offers beautiful views of the river, valley, skyline, and surrounding mountains.

Images for kids

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  Springfield Armory Museum

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  Museum Quadrangle

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  MassMutual Center