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| By Dan Cooper Staff Intern LAWRENCE - Springfield native Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel's childhood home was demolished several years ago, but the doors to the house have survived and will be the centerpiece to an art gallery in a brand new, eco-friendly, development project along the Merrimack River, a consultant for the project told Reminder Publications. Constantine Valhouli, from the architect firm MassInnovation, said the doors were on the antique circuit following the destruction of Geisel's house. "The house was demolished in the late 1990's, I believe around 1997 or 1998," Valhouli said. "A salvage company took possession of it following the destruction and the doors, to the best of my knowledge, are the authentic, actual doors from the house," he said. Valhouli said the hand-painted doors were in pretty good condition and could have been in an attic. "By taking the doors, we are actually saving them, because they could have been in a landfill," he said. Valhouli said the doors are being sent to professional cleaners to be polished. "There of course are paint chips on the door and it is made of natural wood, so it takes professionals to clean it up," he said. Valhouli said MassInnovation took the doors in because there was a tangible connection between them and Geisel's 1971 book "The Lorax," an allegory about the clash between industry and the environment. "The ideas in 'The Lorax' are important and are a basis for this project that we're in the middle of," Valhouli said. "We're actually holding a reading of 'The Lorax' on April 25, which is Earth Day." The project is a new residential development being built where the historic Wood Mill was constructed in 1906. "We're turning the former largest building on the planet into the largest eco-friendly development in New England," Valhouli said. The project, called "Monarch on the Merrimack," will consist of The Monarch Lofts, 600 luxury lofts along the Merrimack river, and The Shops at Monarch, which features six floors of shopping, dining, and entertainment, including a jazz club and independent movie theater. The Monarch will also feature a six-acre "Green Space" river walk where a former asphalt parking lot used to be and a "green roof" with native plant life. The whole development will also be powered by geothermal exchange, which doesn't use fossil fuels. Geothermal exchange uses natural, stored heat from the earth to provide hot water and is able to keep a building heated or air-conditioned. "The homes are being constructed now and should be open in two months," Valhouli said. Prices for the homes range from $189,900 for the cheapest to $459,900 for the most expensive. For additional prices, floor plans, and more information, go to www.monarchlofts.com. |