wofford - Protect St. John Cantius Church.pdf7/6/22, 9:52 AM City of Northampton Mail - Protect St. John Cantius Church
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ik=fec0f72d97&view=pt&search=all&permthid=thread-f%3A1737522541727970436%7Cmsg-f%3A17375225417279…1/1
Sarah LaValley <slavalley@northamptonma.gov>
Protect St. John Cantius Church
1 message
Wade Wofford <wade@happywasteland.com>Tue, Jul 5, 2022 at 10:16 AM
To: slavalley@northamptonma.gov, mhl@marthalyon.com
Sarah / Martha,
I’m writing in support of preserving St. John Cantius Church on Hawley Street.
I’m a long-time resident of downtown Northampton (on Munroe Street), parent of two children at Bridge Street School,
and active community member.
I’m also a board member at Northampton Center for the Arts a little further down on Hawley, so pass by the Church on a
regular basis going to and from my work at the center. In my 18 years as a downtown resident, I must’ve passed by this
beautiful architectural gem five hundred times or more, and it’s a part of the history and architectural fabric that makes our
city great. The bell tower rising above our skyline is an integral part of our skyline.
A town as small as ours is composed of many small parts, and every little part helps make our town what it is…a
destination for surrounding towns to come for dinner, to see a play or music, to shop. The collective vibe of our downtown
leads to the feeling that this is a place with history, that values its architectural history. Even if the institutions that once
occupied those spaces have become obsolete, we must be creative and fight to find new ways to use those spaces…
rather than just tearing them down and building new buildings.
I urge you to support the $500k in CPA funding to save this beautiful building from demolition.
Thank you for your time.
Wade Wofford
8 Munroe St.