In 1640 the land in this part of town was given to the original settlers for use as “planting ground”. In the early 17th century, many of the town’s notable people owned the land. For example, Miles Morgan, for whom a St. Gauden’s statue exists at Court Square in Springfield, was one of the early owners. By 1728, John Ely owned the property and while he didn’t live here, his sons did. In fact, members of the Ely family lived on the site for the next 150 years.
Charles Ely, a merchant, built this home in 1850 as a summerhouse and named it “Willow Banks”. The architect was Richard Upjohn, who also designed Trinity Church in New York City. Upjohn’s “Italian Villa” style was used in the design of the mansion and construction took six years. Distinctive blond bricks, purchased in Milwaukee, were used for the exterior. The plate glass windows were imported from France and the bathrooms were furnished with imported Italian marble. Originally, the front door faced the river and the yard terraced down to the water’s edge.
Mr. Ely was a businessman who wholesaled dry goods. After he lost his fortune in the Panic of 1873, the house was left unattended for 10 years.
In 1883 Justin Worthy, a wealthy businessman in town who owned the Worthy Hotel in Springfield and operated a gristmill and paper mill on the Agawam River, bought the mansion. In the 1830s, after Mr. Worthy’s death, his son Frank, inherited the mansion and upon Frank’s death, his wife offered the property to the town, but they refused it.
For the next few years the building had many uses including the Goddard School of Business, Zollar’s Tea Room and the Willow Bank Restaurant. In 1939, Joseph Curran purchased the mansion for $7,000 and converted it into a funeral home. His family lived on the second floor while business was conducted downstairs. The mansion is still owned by the Curran family, which has meticulously renovated and restored it to its original glory.