18-Baywood Street
“Walkaround Gallery Tour ”

Aug. 22, 2001 - Talk with Neighbor - Nov. 14, 2002

On August 22, 2001, I rode my bicycle up to 18 Baywood, in Springfield MA. Mr. C.A. Givens, a Department of Environmental Protection worker, lives next door and I talked with him Mr. Givens said that he knew of the property and he told me a story I filed as August 22 talk w Mr. Givens. Fifteen months later I came by and talked with Mr. Givens again.

It was a rainy day and a storm was comming. Wesley brought me there in his new van and we stopped, at my request, to speak with Mr. Givens who was out raking leaves. He disliked having to rake those leaves that fell from the oak tree on the property next door at 18 Baywood.

He told me that the house had been bought for shure by a Mr. “Wuo.” Apparently the high bidder had backed down again and the second highest bidder was now going to either demolish the site and build again, or rehab it and enlarge it. I was saddened by this news, but tried to put up a brave front.

Just about all of my hopes for this property were thus dashed.

Later we found that the job fair I was going to just closed before we got there. It was just a very sad saturday. Most of my hopes for a home in Springfield were seemingly comming to an abrupt close.

I said good-bye to the house mentally and yet still wondered if it would really be rehabed or not. I enjoyed the property because it was about the same size of a small apartment. It is about 18W x 21L (feet) with an non-conforming 7Wx10L (feet) back "el". I knew from Mr. Givens and the photos from the Code Enforcement Department that Anne D. Gavanaugh had lived in squalor at least at the end and her daughter, Theresa M. Cavanaugh, had not cleaned up the place and had been "put-away" due to those conditions in 2000 when the city condemned the housekeeping. As I said before, I had entered the house and saw the debris up to about 3 foot thick in some places. However, I still maintian that the house is repairable.

My current apartment is 12.5 x 10.5 and adding the bathroom and closet it becomes about 18.5 x 10.5, hence I know how to live in such a space. The great thing about this house is that

1- while Theresa Cavananaugh lived there a gas furnace was installed
2- outside inspection seems to show a sturdy flooring and support beams
3- all that seems to need to be done are
    --- roof repair, replace roof and flashing and repoint chimeny
    --- gut house of debris
    --- replace back door and secure basement windows
    --- replace asbestos shingles (temporarily seal broken ones)
    --- reinstall new wiring (but most of the bx might still be able to be used)
    --- reinstall new plumbing (that was the main problem before)
    --- repair or replace windows
    --- insulation or insulating practices and stop up varmet egress
    --- replace most appliances and furniture
    --- repaint--probably remove lead paint
    --- repair windows--replace them?
    --- repair or replace metal outside shed.

BUT these things seem to be minor and it would mean a home on a bus line. I leave saddened I might not be able to get the home, but sadder still that it might be demolished.

This testement to the hopes of a WWII veteran (Thomas M. Carney) should be preserved and lived in. I, Charlie Knight, would like to be the person to live here!