City Advances Old First Church Restoration

Springfield officials provided an update on stabilization and restoration work at the historic Court Square church.

Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Safety

Photograph of a white wooden church steeple and clock tower with scaffolding on the upper tower, rising above a tree-lined town square with brick buildings. — Springfield officials said the city is advancing a $2.6 million restoration of Old First Church on Court Square, with work on the clock, steeple, columns, masonry, and roof underway. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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City officials provided an update on stabilization and restoration work at Old First Church on Court Square in Springfield. The $2.6 million project, which began in summer 2026, includes repairs to the clock, steeple, columns, masonry, roof and interior.

Why it matters

The restoration aims to preserve the building, which has stood on Court Square since 1819, for future generations. Officials also want to position the structure for future use and redevelopment as an active part of downtown Springfield.

The restoration totals $2.6 million, funded by more than $2.3 million in American Rescue Plan Act money and a $300,000 Community Preservation Act grant. Completion timing and final cost remain unaddressed in the update.

The players

Kronenberger & Sons Restoration

A Connecticut-based restoration firm hired by the city to carry out the Old First Church project.

The details

The city acquired the building in 2007 after the congregation disbanded and hired Kronenberger & Sons Restoration, a Connecticut-based firm, to carry out exterior and interior repairs. Work includes clock restoration, steeple carpentry, column reconstruction, masonry repointing, rafter repairs, parish house ceiling and flooring work, roof replacement and exterior painting, following damage from the June 1, 2011 tornado.

1819: Old First Church is built on Court Square.
1848: John Quincy Adams lies in state at the church after his death.
2007: The city acquires the building after the congregation disbands.
June 1, 2011: A tornado damages the structure.
Summer 2026: Restoration work begins.

Seasonal Patterns

The church has stood on Court Square since 1819 and was damaged by the June 1, 2011 tornado, placing the current restoration within a long record of weather-related wear on the structure. The project continues that record by repairing storm damage to a building that has endured for more than two centuries.

Residents and visitors to downtown Springfield can expect continued work around Court Square as restoration proceeds. Because the building is being repaired after storm damage, the city's stated goal is eventual reuse as an active downtown site.

The takeaway

Historic buildings damaged by severe weather often require long, multi-source funding to restore, and Springfield's Old First Church effort combines federal relief money with a state preservation grant. Its outcome will show whether a damaged landmark can be returned to productive civic use.