Murdock Hall – MCLA // 1896

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

In 1894, the Massachusetts legislature decided to build four Normal Schools for the purpose of training teachers for teaching in public schools. North Adams was chosen as one of the sites because it was a commercial and industrial center of the Berkshires, and because the city agreed to contribute the land and provide other support. The training of teachers for the public schools was especially important for North Adams in the 1890s, as the city was growing at a rapid rate due to an influx of immigrant laborers working in local factories and raising families in the city. Local architect Henry Neill Wilson was hired to furnish plans for the school building, completed in 1896, which was designed in the Renaissance Revival style. In 1932, the Normal School became the State Teachers College of North Adams, reflecting the increased importance of education as an academic discipline. In 1960, it changed names to North Adams State College with an expanded focus to include professional degrees in business administration and computer science. In 1997, the College joined the State University system and renamed again as Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.

Ashe House // 1898

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

North Adams, like many formerly industrial towns and cities in New England has some amazing old Victorian and Colonial Revival houses built before the factories closed. Luckily for us, this town still has many unaltered residences, with some needing more love than others. This is the Ashe House, built in 1897-8 for Patrick J. Ashe and wife Katherine O’Brien. Classical details from many different styles make this house unique. An oval window dominates the traditional Greek facade which includes a pediment and side pilasters. A palladian window sits over the elliptical porch which is supported by columns. This one has so much potential!!

Vadner House // 1874

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

This elegant estate which stands on the corner of E. Quincy and Pleasant streets in North Adams, Massachusetts was originally built for Samuel Vadner in 1874, by architect Frank Davis the architect. Samuel Vadner established his carriage repository in town in 1870, which saw immediate success. His company manufactured carriages, sleighs, wagons, harnesses, and more, during a period of wealth for the industrial city. The high-style Second Empire style house features a bellcast style mansard roof with broad overhanging eaves, a small entry portico, and a three-tier entry tower that is capped by a convex mansard roof.

R.J. Walden House // c.1872

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

Located on the appropriately named Pleasant Street in North Adams, Massachusetts, this charming Second Empire style house is one of the finest in town. The house was built sometime between 1869-1875 for an R.J. Walden, who was listed in directories as a Deputy Sheriff for Berkshire County, an auctioneer, and real estate agent. Interestingly, the mansard roof is broken by a truncated corner tower with a flat roof. This is a unique one!

First Congregational Church of North Adams // 1863

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

Initially the Congregationalists of Adams and North Adams, Massachusetts met in a small, wooden meetinghouse that was lent to them for use by the Baptist Church. The small, but active congregation totaled just 22 people; 5 men and 17 women. The first minister of the church, John W. Yeomans, worked diligently to see the new church succeed. He was able to raise $3000 from Congregationalist members here and in surrounding communities to build a church of their own. In 1827, a new brick meetinghouse was constructed on the site of the current building. Due to the continuing growth of the church, a new building was necessary after membership outgrew the brick meetinghouse. Bricks from the 1827 building were used in the construction of this church. Architect Charles Edward Parker began construction of the First Congregational Church during 1863 and finished building in 1865. The church was constructed in the Romanesque Revival style; which can be seen in the church’s narrow elongated windows that are covered with wide stone arches, as well as its brick and stone construction, and the building’s slate, conical-shaped roof. What a textbook academic example of an early Romanesque church, especially in a relatively remote town!

The Boardman Rowhouses // 1899

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

Built between 1899-1901, the Boardman rowhouses of North Adams, Massachusetts were constructed by developer and hardware dealer Walter Penniman and his wife Susan Boardman Penniman to serve as much-needed middle-class housing for workers in the growing city. The name “Boardman” was likely taken from Susan’s maiden name. The entire row is comprised of nine rowhouses, all with a front porch, as well as servants’ quarters on the third floor. Each residential unit is fronted by a porch of granite block with Tuscan columns supporting a shed roof. Entrances are recessed behind round-arched openings, also composed of granite blocks. While much architectural details on the second story are obscured by synthetic siding, the
building’s gables retain simple bargeboarding, and eaves are bracketed. The Boardman’s designer was Edwin Thayer Barlow who opened an architecture practice in the town in the 1890s. The rowhouses are still some of the finest example of middle-class housing built in North Adams in the 19th century.

Former Notre Dame Parochial School // 1898

Buildings of New England5 Comments

Located next door to the former Notre Dame Roman Catholic Church in North Adams, Massachusetts, this stunning former school building stopped me in my tracks. The sad fact is that the former school is seemingly vacant makes me really sad and concerned for the future of the building. This beauty was constructed in 1898 to serve as a school associated with the Notre Dame Roman Catholic Church located to its east. Local architect Edwin Thayer Barlow, who formerly worked with Carrere and Hastings, designed the building in the Queen Anne and Romanesque Revival styles, both popular at the time. The school remained in operation until the 1968-1969 school year, after several years of declining enrollment. The City of North Adams leased the school beginning in the 1969-1970 school year to relieve overcrowding at the public schools. In 2008, the City of North Adams purchased the school and church properties from the Springfield Roman Catholic Church Diocese after the church closed in 2005, but no plans have yet materialized to restore the beauties. What would you like to see this building converted into?

Notre Dame Roman Catholic Church // 1875

Buildings of New England2 Comments

Built in 1875, this large Gothic Revival church was built specifically to serve as a place of worship for the French Roman Catholic immigrants from Canada who began moving northern Berkshire County, Massachusetts, who were arriving to work in North Adams’ brickyards and textile factories. Before 1875, the Catholic community in the region had to make due with only occasional visits from a Vermont missionary. In 1871, Father Charles Crevier arrived in North Adams to take charge of the French flock and officially form the parish of Notre Dame du Sacre Coeur, with 750 new parishioners. Funding was acquired to purchase a property in town and erect a suitable church for the large (and growing) congregation. Architect James Murphy, a relatively unknown architect who specialized in ecclesiastical designs, furnished the plans for the church. After loss of industry and a declining population, the church closed in 2005, and the property was sold to the city of North Adams in 2008. The city faced repairing the church building as recently as 2016 with about half of the $100,000 budget coming from the city directly. Its future is unknown, but the town hoped to sell it for a renovation into a hotel or other use to activate the downtown area.

Sullivan Three-Deckers // 1895

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

The three-decker is a commonly found housing type in New England’s urban industrial cities. These buildings are typically of light-framed, wood construction, where each floor usually consists of a single apartment, and frequently, originally, extended families lived in two, or all three floors. These were affordable housing, largely built by and for first- or second-generation immigrant families who could build a home and rent the other two units to family or friends to offset the steep cost of a mortgage. These three buildings were constructed around 1895 by David Sullivan, a cabinet-maker in North Adams, Massachusetts. They are all Queen Anne in style with applied stickwork, gabled roofs, and multi-story porches. Housing like this is what keeps so many New England towns and cities (relatively) affordable with increased density without sacrificing character or charm.

Tourists Hotel // 2018

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

This past weekend, I had the absolute pleasure to stay at one of New England’s coolest new hotels, Tourists Hotel! Located in the industrial-turned-artistic town of North Adams in the Berkshires of Massachusetts this elevated, 48-room hotel modernises the aesthetic of a classic American motor lodge with contemporary design that feels cozy and inviting. The site was originally home to the Redwood Motel, a prototypical 1960s motel on the Mohawk Trail, a designated scenic tourist route which became popular in the automobile era of the 20th century. The reimagined motel was developed by Broder a Boston-based developer who worked with architect Hank Scollard and landscape architecture firm Reed Hilderbrand to design the new hotel. U-shaped in plan, the main part of the hotel surrounds a central courtyard with native flora. Facades are wrapped in white oak planks with the intention to blend the architecture with the surrounding woods. My favorite part was that the rooms have sliding glass doors which open to private decks which make rooms feel more personable. On the crisp fall day, the lounge was an amazing space to cozy up with some spiked cider and chat with other guests. An unexpected treat was to learn that the grounds include dozens of walking trails running along the Hoosac River with a suspension bridge that stretches 220 feet across. Pictures do not effectively showcase how special Tourists is, both in the design details and the attention to detail the staff had during my stay. If you are ever in the Berkshires for a weekend trip, I highly recommend you check them out!