Blackinton Manor: An Inn's Treasures Discovered

By Susan Bush
12:00AM / Wednesday, March 07, 2007

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A first-floor guest room at the Blackinton Manor bed-and-breakfast in North Adams. [Photo by Sue Bush]View Slide Show

North Adams - On a March afternoon when air temperatures did not budge past the 10-degree mark and very brisk winds blew frigid sheets of snow across the landscape, the Blackinton Manor bed-and-breakfast beckoned as a warm, friendly haven.

Paul and Laura Macionus purchased the three-story 1391 Massachusetts Avenue property in 2005 and their renovation work has restored an easy, gracious ambiance that is swaddled in charm and guest comfort.

The innkeepers provided iberkshires.com with a March 6 tour of the inn.

"What we like here is that we have a beautiful living space," said Laura Macionus.

That sentiment is echoed frequently on the pages of Trip Advisor, an Internet site that encourages travelers to rate their experiences and share comments with others.

"Yummy and Convivial"

Blackinton Manor has garnered over 20 comments at the www.tripadvisor.com site, and site managers have awarded the inn a 4.5 rating.

Afternoon sunlight illuminated an entry hall with a red and yellow glow. [Photo by Sue Bush]

The top rating is 5, according to information offered at the site.

From a guest who stayed at the inn on Oct. 6: "Breakfast was yummy and convivial." From a recent Feb. 24 guest: "The king-sized bed was very comfortable, we had cable T.V., bedside reading lamps and good Verizon wireless [phone] service."

The innkeepers were praised as well. An October guest wrote: "Their hospitality was apparent before even arrived when they e-mailed to suggest that we make any needed dinner reservations early since there was a lot going on in the area that weekend."

Guest comfort and an appeal to the senses are priorities, said Paul and Laura Macionus.

"We are trying to make this sophisticated but comfortable and amenable," she said.

Breakfast's Best

Breakfasts vary from weekdays to weekends, with a weekday menu that often includes a choice of hot or cold cereal, a baked good, toast or English muffin, fruit cup, fruit juices and a selection of herbal teas or coffee. Weekend morning meals are a bit more elaborate and might include omelettes, Belgian waffles, maple-cinnamon French toast, blueberry pancakes or warm fruit compote.

"Everything is made from scratch and we buy only Vermont maple syrup from Keith Armstrong in Pownal, Vermont," Laura Macionus said.

Guest bedrooms are situated along the first and second floors. One first-floor bedroom is adjacent to a "butler's pantry" equipped with a double sink, a dishwasher, and cabinets filled with glassware.

Pianos And Paintings And Parties, Oh, My!

Inside the room, a bed shared space with a tuned antique Steinway piano that has delivered a musical diversion for guests who can tickle the ivories. The bedding appeared sumptuous and window curtains complemented the decor.

A dining and living area hosts a Baldwin piano, a cloth-covered dining table, an abundance of cleverly-designed shelves that display decorative and useful items, a fireplace outfitted to operate with gas, large windows, and paintings on the walls.

Some of the inn's paintings are the work of Laura Macionus' 86-year-old mother Marjorie Lowe.

The space has been used for bridal showers, engagement parties, birthday and anniversary celebrations, and is also available as a breakfast meeting site, said the innkeepers. About 40 special event guests can be accommodated.

View of the Blackinton Manor bed and breakfast inn. [Photo by Sue Bush]

Centuries of Local Materials And Local Craftsmanship

The inn's front entrance is accessed by passing over marble stairs that were quarried in the city during the time of its' construction. The home was built by Sanford Blackinton and has stood since 1832.

The marble came from a site near the Natural Bridge and was specifically ordered for the house by Blackinton, said Paul and Laura Macionus.

A second first-floor bedroom fireplace is surrounded with Italian marble, the couple noted.

The front door is bordered by panes of translucent colored glass that permit sunlight to pass through and tumble onto the foyer floor in vivid hues of red and yellow.

The second bedroom was recently wall-papered and the windows in the private, jacuzzi-outfitted bathroom were dressed with curtains handmade by city seamstress Pamela Hemmingway. Hemmingway also made furnishing slipcovers for several pieces of inn furniture.

Private Baths, A "Queen Anne Room" And An "English Suite"

A newly carpeted winding staircase with a smooth, wide, warm-toned wooden banister led to the second floor and guest space such as the "Queen Anne Room," which can accommodate three guests. A sleigh-style bed and a day bed occupy generous floor space and the room features "pocket windows," which mean the windows slide sideways into an opening in the wall. The room's private bath hosts a claw-foot bath tub and a hammered-brass sink

Across a light-filled and nicely accented hall is the "English Suite," which can accommodate up to five guests. Recently, the suite was occupied by five adult females; a mother and four daughters.

"They loved it," said Laura Macionus.

Hallways were not ignored; small tables were tucked into corners or against walls and dried-flower-filled vases or other ornaments were perched on table tops.

One wall was accented with an antique mirror that Paul Macionus had recast.

"It weighs about 30 pounds and it's ancient," he said.

Renovation work is about 90 percent complete, he said, and noted that one significant project ahead is a re-sanding of the inn's wide, wood-plank floors.

Paul Macionus has done much of the renovation work himself.

Hues And Handiwork

A sitting area housed within a first-floor guest room. [Photo by Sue Bush]

Work he did not do includes installation of a generously-sized, warm pink toned marble shower that accompanies the inn's "Blue Room." The work was done by Collin Murphy of North Adams and is an excellent example of local skill, the innkeepers said.

The "Blue Room" was recently wallpapered with a white, textured covering that gives an impression of punched tin and the bed is smothered with a thick white quilt that features a blue design.

Something Blooming

The inn hosts an in-ground pool, which is currently covered with evidence of recent late winter snows. The couple is looking forward to spring, when their "transitional garden" is expected to begin its' ever-changing blooming.

"This is such a nice property and we love the garden," Laura Macionus said.

Paul Macionus noted that the garden offers tulips, daffodils, hyacinths and other springtime blossoms that give way to summer flowers such as gladiolas, varieties of roses and other fragrant blooms as the season progresses.

"We get some very unusual bulbs and we always have something blooming," he noted.

One garden favorite is forget-me-nots, which often find their way into guest hands.

"I've dug them up and given them to our guests," said Laura Macionus.

Originally from Connecticut, the couple also spent time living in Ohio and moved six times within a ten year span due to Paul Macionus' employment. He was employed as a human resources manager for a number of Fortune 100 companies and Laura Macionus described herself as a "trailing spouse" who worked as an administrative assistant.

Delivering The Dream

The couple decided to change their lifestyle and launched a search for a property that could deliver their dream.

Natural light flooded a guest community space during a March visit. [Photo by Sue Bush]

"We looked at about 24 sites over a year, year and a half," he said.

The Blackinton Manor was chosen because of its unique charm and Berkshires setting, it's proximity to Boston, New York City and the Albany International and Logan airports, they said.

Berkshire mountain vistas, the abundance of cultural attractions, and the nearby college campuses - Williams College and the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts are within a five to seven minute drive from the inn and the Berkshire Community College and three Southern Vermont colleges are within a 30- to 40-minute drive - added to the property's appeal, they noted.

"We Impart Ourselves Into Everything We Do"

Since they've become inn hosts, the couple has welcomed guests from around the globe. A Bahamian ambassador and his family stayed at the inn as did an ambassador from Khazakhstan. The inn has housed travelers from France, England, Ireland, and the Netherlands, the innkeepers said.

"We just had our first two couples from Australia," Laura Macionus said. "For the short time we've been here, it's been interesting."

The innkeepers live on-site in an attic-level apartment.

Operating the inn has provided the couple with tremendous joy, they said.

"This is ours and we impart ourselves into everything we do," Laura Macionus said.

The Blackinton Manor bed-and-breakfast inn offers a discounted rate to Berkshire residents.

Reservations may be made by calling 800-795-8613 or 413-663-5795. Additional information is available at a www.blackinton-manor.com Internet web site or by e-mailing the innkeepers at Maccarex2@aol.com .

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