Preservation & improvements for 4 historic buildings in the heart of downtown Springfield
The New Court Terrace and Rainville properties currently provide 88 units of stable housing for vulnerable, low-income households who are at risk of homelessness (45 units in New Court Terrace and 43 in Rainville). These buildings, built between 1872 and 1926, are in Springfield’s Quadrangle-Mattoon Street historic district, and are recognized as historic by the Springfield Historic Commission and the National Park Service.
Way Finders proposes significant capital improvements to both properties, to preserve, modernize and improve these affordable units to ensure the properties provide safe, decent, and affordable housing into the future. These improvements include:
- Increasing accessibility by adding an elevator and creating three ADA-compliant units in the Rainville and creating two ADA-compliant units at New Court Terrace (in addition to three existing ADA-compliant units)
- Increasing energy efficiency by replacing current windows with historically accurate, energy-efficient windows and strengthening each building’s interior insulation while preserving the historic exterior
- Structural improvements such as the restoration or repair of exterior masonry at all four buildings and replacing the roof
- Renovating and modernizing individual units by renovating kitchens and bathrooms, replacing flooring and repainting interiors