Developer poised to change out St. Mary’s rectory windows in Northampton

Rectory building at former St. Mary of Assumption Church, as shown in photo presented to Northampton Historical Commission. The developer is planning to replace the building’s 65 windows, which include asbestos.

Rectory building at former St. Mary of Assumption Church, as shown in photo presented to Northampton Historical Commission. The developer is planning to replace the building’s 65 windows, which include asbestos. Submitted Photo

By SCOTT MERZBACH

Staff Writer

Published: 08-01-2024 4:35 PM

NORTHAMPTON — Proposed removal and replacement of 65 windows in the 2½-story 1910 rectory building at the former St. Mary of the Assumption Church is beginning the process of redevelopment at the 3 Elm St. site.

With Sunwood Builders of Amherst acquiring the property in late March for $1.1 million from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, the company this week sought permission from the city’s Historical Commission to abate the asbestos in the aging windows by replacing them with double-pane, aluminum-clad windows.

Sunwood founder Shaul Perry said in a phone interview on Wednesday, though, that there are not yet solid plans for redeveloping the property, including the 19,720-square-foot church and its 9,175-square-foot basement, and the 7,288-square-foot rectory.

“We have a concept, but don’t have plans yet,” Perry said. “We are working diligently to develop plans that will be going in the next six weeks to the Planning Department.”

Perry added that the parcel will be divided, with the church building likely to be the last part of the project completed. This means that the anticipated mix of residential and commercial uses will have to support the site before the church redevelopment occurs.

Perry said getting the application in for the windows was an important first step. “We anticipate replacement of the windows would be inevitable,” he said.

The commission, said Sarah LaValley, assistant director of the Northampton Office of Planning and Sustainability, has found that the proposed work would not meet the design guidelines for the Elm Street/Round Hill Historic District. Those guidelines specify retention of original windows except in cases where they are beyond repair, she said.

“However, the commission did find that a certificate of hardship was appropriate to allow adaptive reuse of the rectory,” LaValley said.

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Certificates of hardship can be considered when due to “conditions especially affecting the building or structures involved, but not affecting the historic district generally, failure to approve an application will involve a substantial hardship, financial or otherwise, to the applicant,” and that work proposed does not substantially deviate from the purposes and intent of the Historic District.

Though the application to the Historical Commission only focuses on the rectory’s windows, not the project itself or the future uses of the former church campus, Perry has said the project would lead to a “vibrant community hub” and contribute to the revitalization of downtown Northampton.

The filings with the city state that the window changes would do little to alter the look and appearance of the brick building, and cites cost as a driving factor for replacing the 63 existing wood, single-pane double-hung windows, and two wood, single-pane awning windows with identical modern windows, except for being aluminum clad.

“The repair of the existing windows is cost-prohibitive due to the asbestos contamination,” the application reads. “The replacement windows will be wood, clad with aluminum exteriors, and of similar dimensions for muntins, frames, sash, rails, and stiles, and be of the same basic design, and will have the same number of panes as the existing window. Openings will not be reduced or enlarged.”

The sale to Sunwood proceeded following a settlement of a U.S. District Court lawsuit between the city and the Diocese of Springfield that centered on a stop-work order over the removal of five stained-glass windows from the church.

Scott Merzbach can be reached st smerzbach@gazettenet.com.