History & More: 130 Union Street

HisSpringfield, Mass. — 130 Union Street in Springfield, Mass., a building rich in history that has been abandoned for approximately a decade, was purchased by Nicole Nell, President of Visual Sound Productions, Inc. (VSP), and will become home of her award winning, multi-operational production company.

The new owner, born and raised in Springfield, was extremely curious about the history of the building her company would soon call headquarters. And thus, she and her team have been diligently researching, and although there are some gaps, for the most part the backstory is complete and includes quite a variety of tales, of which they cannot wait to add another chapter. 

The story, from what was found, begins with the original lot being purchased in 1896 and subsequently becoming home to the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Bethesda Church and attended by the many immigrants from Sweden settling in the area. This was confirmed by Pastor Lauren Holm, who served for fifteen years at the church’s final address on Island Pond Road in Springfield. She also shared that in 1906, the congregation outgrew the space and moved to a new location in the City’s Old Hill neighborhood. Although the church portion of the story was short-lived, according to “Lost New England” (2016) blogger, Derek Strahan, they did leave a lasting architectural legacy. 

“I suspect that part of the church walls may have been incorporated into this building [the two-story brick structure built ~1906-1910] because part of the first floor walls are made of stone, the same material as the church,” reasons Strahan. “This is also consistent with the church’s footprint as it appeared in the 1899 city atlas, although I do not have any photos of the church to confirm my theory.”

The next chapter in the building’s history was also uncovered through Strahan’s article. He believes, based on a photograph where you can see a car visible inside the building, along with signs on the exterior for “Brake Service & Greasing” and for Exide batteries, that the first floor was used as a repair shop. The image also shows a sign for “Bay State Mattress Company” which he deduced occupied the second floor.

The next piece of the puzzle ascertained picks up many years later, in 1990. At which time 130 Union St. became home to Radding Signs for just over a decade providing some of the many infamous signs still seen in Western Mass today. Eventually Radding Signs was sold and the building became occupied by the Anti-Displacement Project, (later becoming the Alliance to Develop Power) a food distribution center, for the next ten years. This tenant brought the timeline up to 2011, when according to the report by Strahan, the building was damaged by the June 1 tornado and appears to have been vacant since. Currently in 2024 it stands in fairly substantial disrepair.  

Image Descriptions (left to right):

• “Union Street Church 1897” - image courtesy of Pastor Holm, Bethesda Lutheran Church and East Church UCC, Springfield, MA

• “VSP Building - 1938-1939” - Image from Lost New England and courtesy of the Springfield Preservation Trust

• “VSP Building - 2015” - Image courtesy of Lost New England

About Nicole Nell

Nell is no stranger to hard work, spending years as a competitive dancer beginning locally with Dazzle Studio of Dance and then joining the United States Dance Team where she performed and traveled across the world. Then one day her passion for music took a 180 degree turn and she became a full time professional DJ (known behind the mic as DJ Nicki Nell). This portion of her career was not a hobby and she wasn’t playing in basement house parties, rather she became one of the country’s premiere sought-after professional female disc jockeys. A few memorable accomplishments include securing residencies at Foxwoods Resort Casino, Miami HEAT NBA Basketball Team, and MGM Springfield; headlining for the Mobile Entertainment Expo (Las Vegas) and “WeDiscover Fest” (a Michigan EDM festival); guest appearances on nationally syndicated radio (“The Kidd Kraddick Morning Show” and Sirius XM “Pitbull's Globalization”); opening for platinum recording artist, Sage the Gemini; and having her DJ videos catch the attention of NSYNC and Sean Paul.

Since beginning in 2011, VSP has continued to grow and now consists of four divisions: VSP Weddings offers full service wedding experiences including DJ, photobooths, and more; VSP Multimedia, where they partner with businesses to grow their brand through high quality video production and digital content creation; VSP A/V (audio visual) which produces larger scale events and manages rental needs; and VSP Talent where they represent a roster of DJs and musicians across county. 

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Visual Sound Productions, Inc. (VSP), an award winning, multi-operational production company with four specialized divisions: weddings, multimedia, audio-visual, and talent. A women and LGBTQ+ owned business located in the heart of downtown Springfield, Mass in a brand-new state of the art facility. Their mission is to create memorable experiences, elevate brands, and unleash talent while elevating industry standards. Whatever your vision is, they have you covered.