Massachusetts's campuses and the stories they hold.
The Story
Holyoke Community College is the oldest community college in Massachusetts. It started in 1946 as night classes in borrowed high school rooms, and after its building burned in 1968 it moved to a 135-acre campus on Homestead Avenue. Today it serves more than 9,000 students a year. Its programs include the state's only community college culinary school accredited by the American Culinary Federation, in downtown Holyoke, a veterinary technology program accredited since 1989, and a nursing program that has graduated more than 50 classes.
About this site
Holyoke Community College is a college & university in Holyoke, Hampden County. It is one of 8 colleges & universities documented in Hampden County, among 3,815 historic sites cataloged across the county on MassRoam.
The site sits at 42.1948, -72.6513 near Holyoke. The nearest cataloged historic site is LaFrance Block (landmark), about 1.8 miles away. Others within a short drive include Alba, The Apartments, Sargeant, The, and Alba, The Garage.
This record is drawn from MassRoam. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
What makes Holyoke Community College different
After the 1968 fire, the Friends of Holyoke Community College sold yellow bricks from the ruined building to raise money. That group grew into the HCC Foundation. en.wikipedia.org
The HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute on Race Street has four full-service kitchens, a bakery, a hotel lab and a student-run dining room. hcc.edu
Students in the veterinary technology program run a service-learning veterinary clinic on campus that offers wellness exams, spays, neuters and dental care. hcc.edu
The campus has an 18-hole disc golf course. Scorecards are available at the Bartley Center front desk. hcc.edu
The Taber Art Gallery, off the library lobby in the Donahue Building, is free and open to the public. hcc.edu
HCC runs its own radio station, WCCH 103.5 FM, from Donahue Hall. hcc.edu
Holyoke Community College began in 1946 as Holyoke Junior College, founded by the city's school board, making it the oldest community college in Massachusetts. In its early years it was run largely by founder Dr. George Frost and a small staff out of borrowed quarters in Holyoke High School. After a fire destroyed its campus in January 1968, the college rebuilt and today occupies a 135-acre campus serving thousands of students annually.
The school was renamed Holyoke Junior College in 1947, and in 1964 the city school board handed control to the state, giving it the name Holyoke Community College. When the renovated former Holyoke High School burned on January 4, 1968, the college held classes around the city and later in temporary buildings on Beech Street. Residents wrote hundreds of letters to Governor John Volpe asking that the college be rebuilt in Holyoke, and the new Homestead Avenue campus opened in February 1974. The Friends of Holyoke Community College raised early money by selling yellow bricks from the burned building, and that group became today's HCC Foundation.
In its first 77 years the college had only four leaders: founding director George E. Frost, former House Speaker David M. Bartley (1975–2004), William F. Messner and Christina Royal, its first woman president. George Timmons became the fifth president in 2023. HCC added program sites over time, including the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute on Race Street, the Center for Health Education on Jarvis Avenue, and an adult learning center in Ware. In 2019 it announced the state's first Cannabis Education Center, which trains workers for the newly legal industry.
The college marked its 75th anniversary in 2022. In Fall 2025 it enrolled 4,578 credit students, and Springfield, Holyoke and Chicopee sent the most.
HCC offers associate degrees and certificates in transfer and career fields. Health and STEM programs are taught at the Homestead Avenue campus and the Center for Health Education, culinary and hospitality programs downtown, and workforce training such as solar installation and certified nursing assistant courses across the region. The most-enrolled areas are health foundations, liberal arts, business transfer, psychology and criminal justice.
Known for
Culinary Arts (HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute)
HCC says it is the only Massachusetts community college with American Culinary Federation accreditation. Its culinary graduates averaged 84% employment from 2023 to 2025.
Known for
Veterinary Technician (A.S.)
The program has been accredited by the AVMA's Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities since 1989, and the Class of 2025 had 100% job placement. A partnership with UMass Amherst lets graduates continue to a B.S.
Known for
Nursing (A.S.N. and Practical Nursing)
HCC graduated its 51st class of associate degree nurses in 2023. Students train in high-fidelity simulation labs at the Center for Health Education.
Known for
Transfer pathways
Liberal Arts and Sciences and Business Administration MassTransfer are among the degrees HCC awards most often. MassTransfer gives qualifying graduates a guaranteed route to Massachusetts public universities.
All degree programs at Holyoke Community College (4)
Health sciences
Nursing (A.S.N. and practical nursing), Veterinary Technician, Radiologic Technology, Medical Assistant and other health programs
Hospitality and culinary
Culinary Arts (A.A.S. and certificate) and hospitality programs at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute
Liberal arts and transfer
Liberal Arts and Sciences, Psychology, Business Administration MassTransfer, Criminal Justice, Education and Human Services
Workforce development
Non-credit training in clean energy and skilled trades, line cooking, nursing assistant and English for speakers of other languages
Richard Neal — U.S. Representative from Massachusetts since 1989 and former chair of the House Ways and Means Committee (attended) en.wikipedia.org
Henry P. Monaghan — constitutional law scholar at Columbia Law School (Holyoke Junior College, 1953) en.wikipedia.org
Aaron Vega — Massachusetts state representative from Holyoke (attended) en.wikipedia.org
Joe Peters — glass artist who began glassblowing while a student at HCC en.wikipedia.org
Where graduates work
100% of the Class of 2025 veterinary technician graduates found jobs, and culinary graduates averaged 84% employment from 2023 to 2025. These are HCC's own program-level figures. The college does not publish a campus-wide first-destination report. Its overall graduation rate for the Fall 2022 entering class was 35%, and 17% transferred out. hcc.edu
Holyoke Community College: A Legacy of Memories · Holyoke Community CollegeCelebrating the Classes of 1948-1964: Holyoke Junior College Reunion · Holyoke Community CollegeHCC Inauguration of the fifth President George Timmons · Holyoke Community CollegeHolyoke Community College - 2024 Recap · Holyoke Community College
Is Holyoke Community College the oldest community college in Massachusetts?
Yes. It began in 1946 as the city-run Holyoke Graduate School, years before the state began chartering its other community colleges in the 1960s.
What is Holyoke Community College known for?
Its ACF-accredited culinary arts institute, an AVMA-accredited veterinary technician program, nursing, and transfer degrees. It is also the state's oldest community college.
How many students attend HCC?
NCES counted 4,200 students in Fall 2024. HCC reported 4,578 credit students in Fall 2025 and served more than 7,800 credit and non-credit learners in fiscal 2025.
Does Holyoke Community College have sports?
Yes. The HCC Cougars compete in the NJCAA's Region XXI in sports including baseball, basketball, soccer, volleyball, golf, cross country and track & field.
What happened to Holyoke Community College in 1968?
On January 4, 1968, a fire destroyed the college's building, the renovated former Holyoke High School. Classes continued elsewhere in the city, and the current Homestead Avenue campus opened in 1974.
Where is the HCC culinary school?
The HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute is at 164 Race Street in downtown Holyoke.
Who is the president of Holyoke Community College?
George Timmons, the college's fifth president, who took office in 2023.
The self-guided Holyoke Community College campus tour tells the story of each landmark as you reach it (3.8 mi · walking · ~1h 55m · 5 stops). It's included with MassRoam+, alongside 82,000+ Massachusetts historic sites on one live map.
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