hornstein - Letter in support of St John Cantius church7/19/22, 2:36 PM City of Northampton Mail - Letter in support of St John Cantius church
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Sarah LaValley <slavalley@northamptonma.gov>
Letter in support of St John Cantius church
1 message
Gail Hornstein <ghornste@mtholyoke.edu>Thu, Jul 14, 2022 at 11:06 AM
To: slavalley@northamptonma.gov, mhl@marthalyon.com, Deb Henson <debhenson.law@gmail.com>
July 13, 2022
Community Preservation Committee
City of Northampton
Dear Committee Members:
I am writing in support of O’Connell Development Group’s request for CPA funding to save St. John Cantius
from demolition, to restore the exterior of the church to historic preservation standards, and to provide the
city with a permanent historic preservation easement so that this significant landmark in Ward 3 can remain
intact.
When I moved into this neighborhood in the middle of winter last year, amidst a raging pandemic that kept
us all inside our houses and prevented me initially from getting to know any of my new neighbors, walking
by this beautiful church was one of the most important and meaningful parts of my day. Although I am not
myself of Polish ancestry, I was deeply moved by learning about the history of this church and its role in this
part of the Northampton community. I find the architecture of the church and especially the lofty bell tower
to offer the kind of inspiration that is essential to all of our lives, regardless of our religious or cultural
backgrounds. The idea that this proud and beautiful historic symbol of our neighborhood would be
demolished to create yet more condos for high-income tenants was horrifying to me when I first heard about
it, and in the months since then, I have attended community meetings and kept abreast of the alternatives that
have been suggested to save the church. As a new Northampton resident, I am not familiar with all the
complexities of historic preservation, but I know that this church deserves to be saved, however that can best
be done. Having previously lived for many years in Holyoke, a community with far fewer resources than
Northampton, I have seen how people can come together to find creative ways to keep the legacy of our
communities alive, and to repurpose old buildings while doing whatever is necessary to keep their historical
features intact.
I hope you will do everything possible to prevent St. John Cantius from demolition and to keep it as a proud
and beautiful symbol of the determination of generations of Ward 3 residents to persevere, no matter what
the challenges
Cordially,
Gail Hornstein, 8 Hancock St.