$309,079Average Value$135Average Price per Sq Ft6Homes For Sale
Preserved pieces of 19th-century Springfield in McKnight
Ladders, lumber and power tools aren’t uncommon sights around McKnight, where homeowners and contractors stay busy maintaining houses in the 150-year-old Springfield neighborhood. When brothers John and William McKnight started building homes here in the 1870s, corporate executives, industrialists and local politicians were drawn to the spacious homes and meticulously landscaped streets. A century later, McKnight was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in recognition of its collection of ornate Victorian-era homes.
Today, the neighborhood attracts Bostonians and New Yorkers in search of historical New England homes at lower price tags. That’s why many remote workers or people nearing retirement come to McKnight from larger cities, says Erica Swallow, co-lead of the Turnberg Swallow Team at Coldwell Banker Realty. “I have a bunch of buyers in their 50s or 60s. They’re in the last bit of their career and they want to live in a big, beautiful historic house,” says Swallow, who is also president of the Springfield Preservation Trust Board of Directors. “These houses go really fast because they attract people from outside the area, and those buyers have a budget when they’re coming from New York, Boston or Hartford, where they just sold their $1 million house and have a bunch of cash.” Encompassing nearly 800 homes, McKnight has one of the largest selections of Victorian homes in New England, drawing history buffs and architectural enthusiasts who don’t mind abiding by the district’s design standards.
Historical commission regulates home renovations
Since it was added to the National Register of Historic Places, McKnight has gradually been restored to its 19th-century appearance. One of the big changes was painting houses in the bright colors that were in vogue during the Victorian era. Burgundy, gold, green and pink paint cover stick-style, Italianate and Queen Anne homes throughout the neighborhood. Homeowners living in the historic district must get approval from the Springfield Historical Commission if they want to change the exterior of their homes. The commission uses photographs from the 1930s or earlier to determine whether to OK any alterations. The commission aims to only authorize changes that are in line with the way homes looked historically, Swallow says. “You can’t build a porch because your house doesn’t have one and you want one. If your house doesn’t have a porch, and it did historically, the commission is going to look at the photo and say, ‘Yes, you can build a porch, but it has to look exactly like this and use materials that make sense.’” The historic district imposes rules on homeowners, but it presents opportunities, too. District residents are eligible for various grants, such as the Historic Homes Restoration program, which offers up to $30,000 for locals to replace windows, renovate porches or make other exterior restorations in historic districts like McKnight. In addition to doing maintenance on their antique properties, residents are often outside doing yard work, looking after their gardens or sitting on their covered porches when it’s warm outside.
Investors bought up homes in McKnight more than 50 years ago, converting houses into rentals. There has been a push since the ‘70s to turn them back into single-family properties, and today about 40% of residents own their homes. Prices are typically determined by bedroom count and how recently a house has been renovated. Four-bedroom homes start around $200,000, and houses with seven or more bedrooms may be priced at $500,000. On average, homes sell in about a month.
The triangle layout of McKnight is apparent regardless of where you are in the neighborhood.
Beautiful Victorian homes
Great row of homes in McKnight
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Annual block party at Thompson Triangle
The McKnight Neighborhood Council first organized a block party in 2008, and the event has become an annual tradition. Neighbors gather in June at Thompson Triangle, tasting food from local restaurants and caterers, listening to a deejay and petting bunnies and other animals brought by The Zoo in Forest Park. The McKnight Neighborhood Council is free for any residents to join, and the group holds monthly meetings to discuss park renovations, rezoning requests and other neighborhood business.
Basketball history
History of Basketball
The Basketball Monument
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$1 million upgrade coming to Magazine Park
Yards average less than a fifth of an acre, but the McKnight brothers added green space throughout the neighborhood to give residents places to relax outside. The largest is Thompson Triangle, a grassy park with shaded benches circling a fountain. Less than a five-minute walk from Thompson Triangle, a short path crosses through a pocket of forest called McKnight Glen. Residents can walk and jog the neighborhood thanks to the availability of sidewalks, some of which connect to Magazine Park on the west side of McKnight. The state government awarded Springfield a $1 million grant in 2024 to fund the construction of a splash pad and playground that are accessible to children with disabilities at Magazine Park.
Down the street from Springfield Museums
The average temperature drops below freezing in the winter, and Springfield typically sees about two feet of snow over the course of a year. However, several of the city’s most renowned indoor attractions are less than 2 miles from McKnight. One is Springfield Museums, a complex of museums laid out around a grass quad. One admission price grants access to five museums specializing in art, history and science. Among them is The Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum, which chronicles Springfield native Theodor Geisel’s life and journey to becoming celebrated children’s author Dr. Seuss. The nearby Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame highlights Springfield’s history as the birthplace of basketball and houses artifacts donated by the coaches and players enshrined in the Hall of Fame. The three-story museum completed a $25 million renovation in 2021, adding new interactive exhibits meant to keep the Hall of Fame fresh for repeat visitors.
Coffee and bites at Gasoline Alley
Rows of trees separate McKnight’s antique wood-frame homes from Gasoline Alley, a mixed-use building on Albany Street that gets its name from the oil tanks across the road. Gasoline Alley stands out from the surrounding industrial landscape thanks to the lime green paint and colorful murals that adorn the building. Inside, Urban Food Brood carries bites and drinks from Springfield businesses, including cans of coffee brewed by Monsoon Roastery and pastries from Nosh Bakery and Cafe. Gasoline Alley hosts the annual Kringle Market in December, inviting locals to shop handmade gifts from Springfield-area vendors. McKnight is home to one of the only grocery stores in this part of Springfield: America’s Food Basket. The shop is on State Street, as are Dollar Tree, CVS and a handful of fast-food restaurants.
Gasoline Alley is a local brewery and speak easy with new additions soon to come.
New England Boxing and self defiance gym
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Central High, Holyoke Community College collaborate on science education
Rebecca Johnson School on the southeast side of McKnight is close enough for many students to walk to. The public elementary school for kindergartners through fifth graders gets a Niche grade of C-minus. About a mile north of McKnight, Van Sickle Prep teaches sixth through eighth grade, also scoring C-minus. The neighborhood is about 2 miles from B-minus-rated Central High School. The high school’s STEAAM Academic Program emphasizes science, technology, engineering, arts, advanced studies and math in the curriculum. For example, students can get firsthand experience in health care by taking care of a manikin, a life-sized replica of a patient, in a simulation lab at Holyoke Community College.
Frederick Harris Elementary School
boasts a strong curriculum and great teachers and nurturers.
Phoenix Academy Public Charter High School Springfield take pride in educating scholars.
Parents are proud to send their children to The Rebecca M Johnson School.
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Getting downtown by car, bus or bike
Sidewalks cover most of the neighborhood and bike lanes follow thoroughfares such as Bay Street, making it possible to walk and cycle around McKnight. State Street leads from the neighborhood to Metro Center, Springfield’s equivalent of downtown. People can reach Metro Center by taking State Street for about a mile by foot, bike, car or bus. McKnight has an on-ramp to Interstate 291, which connects to the more commonly used Interstate 91. I-91 leads north of Metro Center to Baystate Medical Center, Springfield’s largest hospital, and the highway extends 20 miles south of Metro Center to Bradley International Airport in Connecticut. Fifteen miles farther south from the airport is Hartford, a commuting destination for many in Springfield.
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On average, homes in McKnight, Springfield sell after 48 days on the market compared to the national average of 52 days. The median sale price for homes in McKnight, Springfield over the last 12 months is $282,500, up 16% from the median home sale price over the previous 12 months.
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