GREENFIELD — Faced with a lack of interested buyers, city officials say the city is likely to retain the historic Leavitt-Hovey House, where the Greenfield Public Library is currently housed.

“We have tried to get an enthusiastic, willing buyer and have not,” said Mayor Roxann Wedegartner. “We had people respond (to our initial request for proposals), but they didn’t come back with a formal proposal.”

The discussion surrounding the future of the Leavitt-Hovey House, situated at 402 Main St., has been ongoing since construction began on the new library next door, which officials hope to move into sometime during the spring of 2023.

In 2019 — seven years after the vision for a new library was first discussed — Greenfield voters approved building a new library with a 61% positive vote. The $19.5 million budget accounts for construction costs as well as the cost of the architect, project manager, furniture and fixtures, according to Library Building Committee Co-Chair Ed Berlin.

In addition to a $9.4 million grant from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, the Greenfield Public Library Foundation pledged to raise about $2 million, reducing the city’s cost to about $8.1 million. The foundation announced in January it had reached its $2 million goal.

In a letter to the city, John Passiglia, chair of the Greenfield Historical Commission, wrote that the commission was pleased to hear the old library building will remain under city ownership.

“The Leavitt-Hovey House is our most recognized historic asset in the city,” he wrote, “and it offers great opportunities for use and special recognition by residents and visitors alike.”

Tim Blagg, a member of the Historical Commission, said the building was designed as a house the Leavitt family in 1797 by designer/builder Asher Benjamin.

“They had a bunch of kids and a bunch of parties, and it was, apparently, a really nice place,” he said.

Over the years, the building has had multiple uses, including housing a doctor’s office, according to Blagg. The structure has been added to, gutted and further modified since it was first constructed.

“When you talk about preserving the house, you’re basically talking about preserving the exterior, which is that original Asher Benjamin federalist style,” Blagg said.

Wedegartner said her project for 2023 will be to explore possible uses for the building.

“At the moment, I certainly am thinking about having it be city offices because we need office space,” she said, noting, in particular, she would like to see the Planning and Development Department, the Community and Economic Development Department and the Building Inspections Department be housed under one roof. “I know John (Passiglia) is very interested in ... using some portion of the space for a historical museum.”

The mayor noted the building would require some “relatively big ticket” repairs and rehabilitation, specifically with respect to accessibility issues. The roof and windows would also need to be replaced.

“It will likely require a significant investment, hopefully a lot of it grant-funded,” Wedegartner said.

Responding to public criticism that voters were told the building was not suitable for use and beyond repairs the city could afford, Wedegartner emphasized that the Leavitt-Hovey House was no longer suitable in its current capacity.

“I don’t think anyone’s said anything about it being unsuitable for public use,” she said. “It’s not suitable as a modern library. City offices are quite different.”

Reporter Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-930-4429. Twitter: @MaryEByrne.

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