Springfield's Court Square Hotel building. Image courtesy of Google Maps

A Thursday event in Springfield celebrated a major milestone in the redevelopment of a long-vacant building in Court Square, and in Gov. Charlie Baker’s view, it also offered a welcome source of relief.

Baker, who spoke at the ceremony marking the kickoff of redevelopment at 13-31 Elm St. but did not hold a question-and-answer availability with the media afterward, described the project as a contrast to the five-plus months of a global pandemic that has almost entirely occupied Beacon Hill’s attention.

“This is the kind of day and the kind of project that, in the midst of all the pain and misery – and there’s been a lot of it that comes from COVID – we all have a chance to sort of express some joy and hope and opportunity and possibility about something that people have been working on for decades,” Baker said.

WinnCompanies and Opal Real Estate will redevelop the former Court Square Hotel property into a mixed-use site with 74 apartment units, retail and restaurant space, and offices.

The governor participated in the announcement ceremony alongside Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, officials from WinnCompanies, and U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, whom Baker endorsed in his Democratic primary race earlier in the day.