St. Thomas church in Huntington is for sale again, and the town is interested. (WNG Photo)
HUNTINGTON – The future of the historic St. Thomas Church on East Main St. in downtown Huntington is once again uncertain, and town leaders are asking the residents to come to a public forum at 6 p.m., Wed., March 27 at Stanton Hall to consider the purchase of the church by the town.
“I would encourage people to come and provide the Select Board with input and ideas,” said Selectman Darlene McVeigh, adding, “Nothing is cast in stone, but we’d love to hear what people have for ideas.”
The church, which McVeigh called “a centerpiece to the town,” has now been vacant for nine years. The St. Thomas Roman Catholic Church closed its doors in February of 2010, after the membership of St. Thomas, Our Lady of the Rosary Parish in Russell and St. John Mission in Chester voted to merge parishes and worship in the Russell church, which was then renamed the Holy Family Parish.
In June, 2012, after 19 months on the market, the residents voted at the town meeting to create a single property Local Historic District that would consist solely of the St. Thomas Roman Catholic Church, in order to maintain the landmark built in 1881. The restriction prevented would-be buyers from altering the appearance or historical significance of the building, including the architectural design, façade, window shapes, steeple, paint and roof colors.
Five years later, in the summer of 2017, the Roman Catholic Diocese put the church up for auction, after it failed to sell on the open market for a listing price of $199,900. The diocese put a further restriction on the sale that no eventual usage inconsistent with the Roman Catholic Church would be permitted. The church sold at auction on July 20 to the Farrelly Family Realty Trust of Westfield for $75,000.
Huntington Selectman Darlene McVeigh (WNG File Photo)
Last fall, the Board of Selectmen was approached by Gerald Farrelly to purchase the church. They toured the building in December, and McVeigh said they did not see any significant issues. She also said no money has been discussed with the seller, and the town is investigating sources of possible grants for the building and for upgrades to the building. Possible CDBG grants for the building or its uses were discussed with Erica Johnson of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission at a public meeting in January. “It’s an opportunity that we need to explore and discuss with the voters, to see if there’s any interest or if they have any ideas,” McVeigh said.
One of the ideas the town has been discussing is to open a senior center in the building which is handicapped accessible, and has a lift, although McVeigh said it may need some work. She said the town doesn’t have funds to build a senior center, and the church is big enough.
Other ideas have included town offices and record storage, and an emergency center. The building is well above the flood plain, and would not be threatened by the Westfield River, unlike the Town Hall and Stanton Hall buildings.
As for the religious restriction, McVeigh isn’t certain it would apply, adding that she would be “hard-pressed to think the town would use it for anything that the church would find objectionable.” But, she said, the town would have to talk about that.
McVeigh, who said she was married in the church and her children were baptized there, believes there is room for exploration. “I would hate not to explore this opportunity,” she said, adding, “Before we move forward, we need to understand what the residents feel about it. It’s a historic building. If town residents feel it’s a reasonable purchase, and have ideas for its use, we should move forward.”
