Donor makes bid to save St. John Cantius, St. Mary’s churches in Northampton
Updated 9:19 PM;
Today 9:10 PM
An aerial view of the former St. John Cantius Church on Hawley Street in Northampton on March 20, 2021. A developer is seeking to tear down the structure as part of a construction project. (Patrick Johnson | The Republican photo)
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NORTHAMPTON An anonymous donor has put up $50,000 to save St. John Cantius Church and the similarly endangered St. Mary’s Church on the other side of downtown.
Northampton City Councilor Jim Nash announced the proposed donation Tuesday during a meeting of the Northampton Central Business Architecture Committee, which was discussing O’Connell Development Group’s proposal to demolish St. John Cantius and build condominiums in its place.
Guest columnist Ward 3 Neighborhood Association: St. John Cantius Church deserves better
O’Connell Development Group has applied for a permit to demolish the St. John Cantius Church on Hawley Street and Phillips Place. Gazette file photo
Published: 3/17/2021 1:02:30 PM
Editor’s note: This letter was sent to the Central Business Architecture Committee from the Ward 3 Neighborhood Association.
At its March 9 meeting, our board of directors voted to reach out to your committee to express our opinion of O’Connell’s recent proposal to demolish the historic St. John Cantius Church located in Ward 3.
Our board overwhelmingly encourages this committee to require O’Connell Development Group to conduct due diligence on its promise to our community in October 2019 to attempt to repurpose this historic monument to the Polish community in Ward 3 and the Pioneer Valley.