There’s still much to be done, but the oldest extant school building in Springfield—77 Maple St., originally the home of the Springfield Female Seminary—has come a long way since long years of neglect left it all but lost. Since buying it in 2009, the Springfield Preservation Trust has worked slowly and steadily to restore the 1832 structure to its earlier glory, stabilizing the foundation, rebuilding walls, restoring windows. Now, with a $50,000 grant it just won from the 1772 Foundation, which funds historic preservation projects around the country, the SPT will move forward with additional work on the building’s exterior.
