This block was at #30 Dwight Street. That location is now occupied by the Mass Mutual Center. This is a very attractive city block, but the details are even more interesting. The company featured, C.L. Houghton, sold flour, grain, hay, and straw. Yes, there was a hay store in downtown Springfield.

What is even more interesting are the two houses that abut the block; They are examples of basic downtown homes in Springfield, probably built in the early 1800's (particularly the house on the left, which is less ornate than the more-obscured house on the right). In 1895, there were no zoning laws, so it was completely permissible (if not downright rude) to build a large commercial block dwarfing an existing residence.

The house next to the block reminds me of The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton, the story of a country house that had the city eventually grow around it with skyscrapers.