As we continue to look for living spaces for people without homes, it seems a good time for me to tilt at my favorite windmill one more time.
The vacant building at 77 Petty Plain Road, adjacent to the Green River School, Parcel 20-20-0, is owned by the city of Greenfield. The entry “Historical Museum” appears in the “co-owner” field of the Annual Information Statement property card for the property.
Likely that entry is just an administrative note to more clearly identify city property. The 1867 building did serve as the home of Greenfield’s Museum of Our Industrial Heritage starting around 1997. However, the man behind the Museum of Our Industrial Heritage, Wilder L. “Leon” Weeks, never had official ownership of the property on Petty Plain Road.
The then-town of Greenfield planned to sell the house and move it off the property to make room for more parking at the Green River School, but — different market — couldn’t find a buyer. They “lent” it to Weeks for storing documents in exchange for his caretaking of the building. When Weeks announced that he was opening his “museum” to the public, town officials pointed out that this parcel was zoned residential and he would have to get a variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals to permit it to be open to the public.
Although Weeks suggested he might be able to get around the zoning by only showing the collection by appointment, the town said “no.” A scheduled open house and showing of new acquisitions was canceled. Weeks died Jan. 22, 2001 at the age of 78.
In 2007, Al Shane and James Terapane purchased the Newell Snow Factory (Greenfield Steel Stamp Works building) at 2 Meade Street and shorlty after that the museum collection moved to that location, where it remains today.
The Petty Plain Road building, vacant for the past 15 years or so, is falling into disrepair and one entrance was overgrown with bushes when I visited a couple of years ago. If it were privately owned, the city would be forcing the owner to fix it up or tear it down.
If salvageable, the four-bedroom, 1,438-square-foot building could be sold cheap to put it back on the tax rolls as a single-family residence. If not, tear it down to provide more outside recreation space for the adjacent Green River School. Note, however, that the school’s future is still undecided, since it has had no heating system for years. Windmill two.
I’m guessing it might not be possible to bring 77 Petty Plain Road back to a livable condition after all these years of neglect. No spot for temporary housing, no chance to add to the city’s housing stock. Shame.
The last two mayors of Greenfield agreed with me that the vacant house should be addressed. Never was.
Bob Williford lives in Greenfield.