East Main Houses Taken Down in North Adams
Now you see them, now you don'tWhen 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.
The propertyowners were given 60 days to rehabilitate or raze the structures, including the two massive East Main apartments.
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.
