Although the company operated in Holyoke for less than a year, this business was instrumental in developing housing for an entire neighborhood. What follows is the story of Baystate Precision Builders Incorporated.
Bay State Precision Builders (BSPB) was a Worcester-based concern and the New England associate of Precision Built Homes Inc. of Trenton, New Jersey, a nationwide housing developer. Unlike traditional on-site construction of a house, BSPB manufactured entire segments of a home in a factory and transported them for installation on the foundations.
In December 1946, the city of Holyoke and BSPB signed a letter of intent to construct 62 homes on Moss Tract, located in the area generally bounded by Homestead Avenue and Westfield Road, which includes present-day Moss Ave., Memorial Drive, Memorial Circle and a portion of Park Ave.
The homes would either consist of four or five rooms, and would be made available to military veterans at below-market rental or purchase prices. The project was named Memorial Village Veterans Housing.
Permits were granted on December 20, 1946, to begin construction of the first three homes, numbered Lots 38-40, along Homestead Ave. Four-room homes would range in price from $5,913 (600 s.f) to $6,333 (720 s.f.), and the five-room home would cost around $7,322 (814 s.f.).
A groundbreaking ceremony was held on December 23, 1946, with work to begin the following day. E. T. O’Neil and Sons of Longwood Ave. were contracted to dig the cellar holes and install foundations, cellar floors and chimneys. Alderman & Alderman were the architects for the project.
In January 1947, Bay State Precision Builders Inc. signed a 3-year lease, renewable annually, with an option to extend to 5 years, to manufacture homes at the former Platner-Porter division of the American Writing Paper Company. The plant was located along the river near the dam and dated back to the Mt. Tom Paper Company in 1867.
The company would employ 70 skilled workers to manufacture homes, fulfilling contracts for all the company’s New England construction projects.
Donald L. Walsh, a native and resident of Pittsfield, was the President of the company. During World War II, he worked for a Durham, North Carolina contractor that handled contracts with the Navy Department to construct boiler plants and steam distribution systems.
Griff Clark, Vice-President of the parent company in New Jersey, would supervise the construction. He had recently returned from Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he supervised the construction of a factory to build housing under a $50 million government contract.
The contract for the construction of 62 homes was signed by the Holyoke Housing Authority on January 27, 1947. Mayor Toepfort affixed his signature the following day. The city had received over 400 applications for the homes.
The project was a collaborative effort sponsored by the city and the Holyoke Housing Authority, the disbursing agent, under a 1946 state act that allowed cities and towns to alleviate housing shortages faced by returning veterans. Holyoke was the first city to take advantage of this opportunity.
In mid-March 1947, it was announced that the first nine homes would be available for occupancy by April 19, 1947. The remaining 53 homes would be completed by May 30, 1947, as the plans called for assembling two homes per day, starting in early May when materials would more regularly arrive at the plant.
On May 24 and 25th, an open house was held to view the three different home styles. The company, in an advertisement for the event, stated, “No other community in this entire state (and no other company) has been able to produce similarly adequate housing for veterans on a mass production basis up to this moment.”
Veterans had the opportunity to rent the homes for up to 5 years and, at that time, either purchase the homes or relocate to other housing. The company’s stated timeline for completion of the project was extended into July, 1947.
In November of 1947, there were concerns as Bay State Precision Builders had not renewed its lease. The city hoped that BSPB would be interested in building another 30 homes, all 5-room, on the west side of Westfield Road opposite Memorial Village Veterans Housing. The mayor had indicated that BSPB’s work in constructing all the initial 62 homes was satisfactory.
There is no indication that the company continued to operate in Holyoke. There were assertions of unpaid bills to subcontractors and outstanding taxes, potentially due to underbidding the contract. However, it was an eventful year for 62 former military service personnel and their families who were afforded housing and an opportunity to own a home.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; publication dates and pages are shown.
Hampden County Registry of Deeds, Springfield, Massachusetts
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