Springfield Juvenile Courthouse

The Springfield Juvenile Courthouse was originally named the Hampden County Courthouse and is the county’s second courthouse. Designed by famed architect Henry Hobson Richardson, the building was completed in 1874. A grand jury determined that there had been some misconduct of the county commissioners in the late 1860s, when the original courthouse lacked fireproof storage for deeds and important public records. The jury prompted the construction of the new Hampden County Courthouse for a cost of $214,068, which through inflation equates to roughly $4.4 million dollars today. Kronenberger & Sons was responsible for work on the tower, interior stairwell, and heating and cooling system all while court proceedings were taking place. We had to photograph, mark, catalog, and remove each stone from the ornate belfry to a ground staging area 125 feet below. Nearly one thousand large, finished granite stone blocks were involved in the dismantling. A new internal substructure of steel was installed, and each granite block was returned to its original lofty location. This building is #72000134 on the National Register of Historic Places.