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Date: 9/13/2023
EAST LONGMEADOW — State Rep. Brian Ashe (D-Longmeadow) and State Sen. Jacob Oliviera (D-Ludlow) presented The Friends of the Norcross House with a check for $100,000, to be used for renovation and preservation to the 140-year-old building on Maple Street.
“I had spoken to Brian Ashe a few years ago,” about needed repairs at The Norcross House, said Board of Directors President Donna Martinez. “When some economic development funds opened up, he included it in the [state] budget.”
The funding was secured in the economic development bill. The Norcross House has a carriage house on the grounds, which is available to rent for classes, art exhibits and private functions. Martinez said the floors in that building needed refurbishment and the structure needed insulation.
Martinez said, “It’s an old building and the last time it was renovated was 20 years ago.”
Repairs and maintenance, such as painting, are needed in the main building, as well. A couple of years ago, the organization received quotes to replace the windows in the 1880 house. With the funding from the legislature, Martinez said the board of directors now has the money to get the work done. However, recent updates to the building code mean that it will be more difficult to find windows that satisfy the code requirements and the historical standards for the house.
“It’s a little more complicated than running to Home Depot,” Martinez said with a laugh.