Finally, a new business Northfielders can get behind. We’re referring to the proposal by the Moody Center to create a “boutique inn” on its East Northfield campus. According to recent reporting in this paper, the Moody Center is investigating the feasibility of a $2 million renovation to turn Revell and Holton halls into a 24-room inn to house guest speakers and visitors to events hosted by the center.
Revell Hall, on the west side of Main Street near the corner of Main and Moody streets, dates to 1879. Holton Hall, originally constructed as the carriage house to Revell, sited below and behind it, dates to 1885. Over the years, the buildings have variously been used as dormitories, faculty apartments and administrative offices. Despite early 20th-century additions to Revell Hall, neither of these two buildings look much different from when they were constructed, and they stand as well-preserved examples of 19th-century school buildings in the high Victorian, gothic style.
The Moody Center’s architect would preserve the outward appearance of both buildings, and off-street parking would be tucked conveniently away from view, behind Revell. A previous iteration of this proposal called for a new 140-room hotel in an adjacent field. That proposal died aborning. Steve Stoia, who, with his wife, Joan, founded the Northfield Area Tourism and Business Association, said the larger hotel wouldn’t have matched Northfield’s character.
“This is a beautiful small town,” Stoia said. “We have to be careful not to ruin what we have.”
To its credit, the Moody Center seems to have learned this lesson, seeking the support of the Northfield Historical Commission, which wrote a letter to the state commission saying it had no concerns with what The Moody Center plans to do and advocating for the restoration. “They plan to renovate the interior of of buildings they already own,” Carol Lebo, Northfield Historical Commission chair, said.
The Moody Center seems to have gained the support of the area business association, too. “We’re looking for careful economic development in town,” Steve Stoia said. It’s fair to say that Northfielders agree with that statement. The Stoias, who own The Centennial House Bed and Breakfast on Main Street, accept that this inn is a necessary step to further Northfield’s economic development. With the campus now fully occupied by the Moody Center, Thomas Aquinas College, and the C.S. Lewis Study Center, and with the anticipated construction of the Schell pedestrian and bikeway bridge across the Connecticut River around 2023, more visitors will be looking for lodging. Additionally, the boutique hotel would expand the tax base for the town. “It’s a win-win as far as I’m concerned,” Joan Stoia said.
Northfield has a reputation for throwing monkey wrenches into new development. Residents seem torn between adding to the tax base and preserving the character of their town. For example, a proposed upscale “campground” to be sited off Pierson Road, a residential neighborhood, provoked a lawsuit by neighbors that is ongoing; that project is apparently stalled. Going back through the decades, earlier projects that failed to come to fruition include two gas station upgrades, a composting facility in West Northfield, a Grand Canyon University satellite campus, a grain mill on The Farms, and a public swimming pool at the Northfield Mountain Environmental and Recreation Center.
Historically, residents have had a fit over new business development. Finally, however, it looks like this one’s a fit for the town.