“

The incredible interior of Southbridge’s Notre Dame Church. The church was listed on the 2010 Most Endangered Historic Resources List with 3 other Central Mass properties.

Endangered icons: Southbridge church among threatened area structures

By Bronislaus B. Kush|Worcester Telegram & Gazette| September 30, 2010

Boston — Notre Dame Church in Southbridge, which may be shuttered as part of the reorganization plan by the Diocese of Worcester to cope with the dwindling number of priests, is one of four Central Massachusetts landmarks that have been placed on Preservation Massachusetts’ 2010 Most Endangered Historic Resources list.

The others are the Odd Fellows Home in Worcester’s Greendale section, which may be razed for a housing development; the Oakham West School in Oakham; and the Rev. Abiel “Priest” Williams House in Dudley.

Preservation Massachusetts has put out an annual list for 17 years. The 10 structures listed have been judged by the nonprofit advocacy group as being historically significant, but threatened with demolition or neglect.

In May, chancery officials merged Notre Dame’s congregation with that of nearby Sacred Heart of Jesus Church.

Notre Dame parishioners fear that their cathedral-like church, which was built in 1912…

For the full article, click here.

A Preservation Massachusetts Most Endangered Historic Resource in 1997, the Longfellow Bridge faces preservation and other issues in its upcoming rehabilitation.

Linking cities and eras

By Eric Moskowitz| Boston Globe| July 25, 2010

Boston — The Longfellow Bridge spans the Charles River between Boston and Cambridge with a mix of grace and heft. Below its heavily trafficked deck, a dozen granite piers alternate with 11 sets of steel arches that bound across the water like a skipped stone. Above, the bridge is adorned with four neoclassical towers that resemble salt and pepper shakers.

And then there is the view, a panorama that is a mainstay of postcards: the rooftops of Back Bay, the slope of Beacon Hill and the gleam of downtown skyscrapers rising beyond the deep blue of the Charles and the greenery of the Esplanade.
Ever since the original bridge was built in 1854 to connect Tom’s Neck with the main part of town, it has been an important historical link for the Community.

Up close though, the century-old bridge is in terrible shape…

For the full article, click here.