Now you see them, now you don't When iBerkshires left for Pittsfield on Monday morning, the two tenements on East Main Street declared public nuisances nearly a year ago were still standing. When we got back, they were gone.
Their disappearance provides a new bird's-eye of Union Street for residents and travelers along East Main.
Above, the tower of one of the buildings before it was demolished. Below, the old mill on Union Street (the tannery?) can be seen in the distance.
The two apartment houses at 223-225 and 229-231 East Main St., were owned by tenement mogul Charles "Rusty" Ransford. The buildings were on a list of blighted properties handed to the City Council last year by Mayor John Barrett III.
Another apartment building on Arnold Place owned by Arthur Perras was taken down last year. The Arnold Place structure's demolition was the only one to which the Historical Commission seriously objected.
The East Main buildings had been vacant for several years and in extremely poor condition. Workers began dismantling parts of the buildings last week. Their demolition was done fairly quickly Monday afternoon.
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Ummm...EAST Main Street!?
Editor: Yes, I keep getting my East and West mixed up. That's what happens when you're trying to be in three places at once. You don't know where you are!
I am glad you ran this article, because I saw the gap on East Main St. However, I'm disappointed in the lack of depth in this article. Who owned the houses? What efforts were made to rehab and save them? Was the Historical Commission involved? While all may have been done thoroughly and properly, the story left much unsaid.
Editor: I posted the pictures then, as noted in the previous comment, had to be in two other places. I've posted the links to back stories about buildings and added more information.
When are the residents of North Adams finally (after decades of slums) going to WAKE UP open your eyes, and realize that Mr. Ransford has done nothing, and will continue to do nothing for the city of North Adams except provide garbage dumps to live in, and have the state pay him for their usage.
Main Street, Spring Street, Union Street etc etc.... DUMP after DUMP owned by Mr. I hate North Adams.. Charles "Rusty" Ransford.
North Adams....please stop the peeing contests every year and take every single one of his properties. Even his own home is a slum!
Enough Of This Already!
Or... just continue... and let Mr. Ransford hold us all back!
I am so glad I do not live there anymore. I went back recently and all you see is vacant lots everywhere. That looks just as bad. STOP worrying about Mass Moca. Its not the answer to revitalize that city! Do something NOW before it gets worse and its a complete ghost town! I can't belive the politicians in that city. Grow up!
ransford is the big winner in this deal. he no longer has the liability of two non-performing buildings and the city tears them down on their dime. now the city liens up the vacant lots for the cost of demolition, goes through land court to gain title for non-payment of taxes and liens and is eventually awarded title to two non-conforming, unbuildable, worthless lots. all in, it will probably cost the city $50-$60,000. who wins?
While it is nice to see some of these properties go, it is not so nice to see so many vacant lots. In the 60's and 70's many building were torn down but, not much rebuilding was done. I say if the city is going to take the step to get rid of the trashy buildings at least have a plan to put the property to use other than parking lots. I grew up in North Adams and it wiil always be my hometown, there is not much pride at looking at an ariel photo of North Adams and seeing the only expansion going on is vacant lots. there needs to be a plan to at least try to rebuild. Jjust a thought.
Rusty is a terrible landlord.You thing those places are bad go check out his building on Webber St in Adams.I lived there.My toilet exploded and he wouldn't fix it.I had to pay out of my own pocket to have it fixed.The paint was peeling off the walls,and the refridgerator was full of food from the old tenants.I had so much cleaning to do before I could move in there.I took the appartment because it was close to my job and cheap.But in the end it wasn't worth it to me.Rusty never returned any of my calls either.I don't think he should be allowed to own property and rent it ever again.
in every town there will be people who cannot afford to live, that is communism you cannot have rich people, especially millionaires and billionaires without people being extremely poor. Rusty ransford houses many poor people who need a roof over their heads and he should be praised for taking in so many people all the time. And it is because of half if not more of these people do not have jobs (look at the unemployement rate before you think jobs arent a problem) and are behind on rent that rusty owes alot of money. He has done something no one else dares to do, help people and take a fall for it, I am one of his tenants, and he is very nice, the people that work for him may be another question, but we are talking about rusty here. All you richies should thank him for taking homeless people off the streets, otherwise you'd have to deal with them and your taxes would have to pay to shelter them...
Just because people are are not financially stable, unemployed, or "poor" does not mean they need to live in squalor. Many of the apartment buildings that are demolished in this area are demolished because they are uninhabitable. I do not think anyone deserves to live like that. I think it is the landlord's responsibility to take care of their properties. They do charge rent to their tenants don't they?
There's holiday cheer throughout the Berkshires this winter.
Many homeowners are showing their holiday spirit by decorating their houses. We asked for submissions so those in the community can check out these fanciful lights and decor when they're out.
We asked the homeowners questions on their decorations and why they like to light up their houses.
In Great Barrington, Matt Pevzner has decorated his house with many lights and even has a Facebook page dedicated to making sure others can see the holiday joy.
Located at 93 Brush Hill Road, there's more than 61,000 lights strewn across the yard decorating trees and reindeer and even a polar bear.
The Pevzner family started decorating in September by testing their hundreds of boxes of lights. He builds all of his own decorations like the star 10-foot star that shines done from 80-feet up, 10 10-foot trees, nine 5-foot trees, and even the sleigh, and more that he also uses a lift to make sure are perfect each year.
"I always decorated but I went big during COVID. I felt that people needed something positive and to bring joy and happiness to everyone," he wrote. "I strive to bring as much joy and happiness as I can during the holidays. I love it when I get a message about how much people enjoy it. I've received cards thanking me how much they enjoyed it and made them smile. That means a lot."
Pevzner starts thinking about next year's display immediately after they take it down after New Year's. He gets his ideas by asking on his Facebook page for people's favorite decorations. The Pevzner family encourages you to take a drive and see their decorations, which are lighted every night from 5 to 10.
In North Adams, the Wilson family decorates their house with fun inflatables and even a big Santa waving to those who pass by.
The Wilsons start decorating before Thanksgiving and started decorating once their daughter was born and have grown their decorations each year as she has grown. They love to decorate as they used to drive around to look at decorations when they were younger and hope to spread the same joy.
"I have always loved driving around looking at Christmas lights and decorations. It's incredible what people can achieve these days with their displays," they wrote.
The Wilsons' invite you to come and look at their display at 432 Church St. that's lit from 4:30 to 10:30 every night, though if it's really windy, the inflatables might not be up as the weather will be too harsh.
In Pittsfield, Travis and Shannon Dozier decorated their house for the first time this Christmas as they recently purchased their home on Faucett Lane. The two started decorating in November, and hope to bring joy to the community.
"If we put a smile on one child's face driving by, then our mission was accomplished," they said.
Many homeowners are showing their holiday spirit by decorating their houses. We asked for submissions so those in the community can check out these fanciful lights and decor when they're out.
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Now you see them, now you don't
