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Another One Bites the Dust: North Adams House Torn DownStaff reports
iBerkshires
05:07PM / Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Old Quincy St. Boarding House Demolished
A backhoe makes short work of the big building; bottom, pulling off the roof reveals detritus from past residents.
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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Neighbors along Quincy Street were awakened Wednesday morning to the sounds of destruction.
A backhoe was methodically demolishing the house at 74 Quincy St., turning the former boardinghouse into a pile of splinters and trash within a few hours.
The Victorian has been among those in the last few years that have been targeted by the city as a blight on their neighborhoods. It was taken by the city in August 2008 for back taxes.
Daniel Connerton, a resident of Quincy Street and former chairman of the North Adams Historic Commission, said the building had once been a boarding house for young women who worked in the local mills.
The house had more than a dozen suites and single rooms, and Victorian stylings such as fireplaces, built-in wardrobes, marble sinks and woodwork, said another neighbor. The house has been empty for some time but had been carved into apartments.
It was owned by Glenn E. Johansson, Trustee of 74 Quincy Street Realty Trust. Johansson had purchased the apartment building in 1985 for $62,500 from John and Virginia Beck; the realty trust was created in 1998. Johansson also owns other property in the Quincy and Church Street area.
 Three years of back taxes were owed on the property and total liens came to $8,776.84 according to documents in the Northern Berkshire Registry of Deeds when it was taken a year ago.
Thanks to Gabriella Bond for sharing her memories of the house below. Anyone else have stories to tell? |
| Thanks for sharing your memories. | | from: NA Resident | on: 10-27-2009 |
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74 Quincy Street is gone. There was just a cellar hole left. This may not mean much to most people, but it was my home and my Mothers house.
It was called Connie’s Lodge (after my Mother Constance Mancini). It had a sign that hung from the front porch. So what was so great about it? My Mother bought the house during World War II and it was used as a rooming house. She only had women tenants, because she had 5 daughters and no husband and didn’t want men in the house.
At the time the only place for poor people to go was the City Farm on South Church Street.
My Mother had converted the downstairs for our family’s living space and rented the upstairs. There were four small apartments that had cooking, and 5 single rooms. I remember the women who lived there very well. One lovely lady who’s husband lost everything in the crash of ‘29 was forced to live in one room with help from Welfare. Others were on Welfare also. Welfare wasn’t very nice at that time, but that is another story. No one had Social Security, it hadn’t been around and there were no other programs to help the elderly.
The third floor was rented to young women. If you worked in North Adams and lived in say Readsboro and had no car you rented a room for $5.00 a week and your parents knew they did not have to worry because no men were allowed above the first floor. There was a YMCA but no YWCA.
It was a beautiful old Victorian, with a wraparound front porch. The second floor, reached by a beautiful stairwell with a wrap around banister, had an alcove of four windows and two other windows which made is very bright. It was nicely furnished with easy chairs and curtains in all the windows. It was also a place in the winter for the women to gather and watch the people going up and down Quincy Street. It was a two way street at that time.
San Soucie’s funeral home was two houses down, so we had a lot of traffic on our street. In the summer the Ladies would sit on the front porch and see many old friends walk by. When I got my license to drive, I would sometime take some of them for ice cream and a ride.
Miss Tessi Sullivan, the Math teach for Drury High, lived in the front room. She liked to entertain her friends at bridge at least once a week. They loved to drink their wine and it was a hoot listening to them having a good time. I am sure there are many of us still alive that remember Tessie. She loved to gamble on the horses.
One day one of the women fell on the stairs and we immediately called Dr. Rosenthal, who lived at the end of our street. He came running. Jack, my husband, later said you never saw Dr. Rosenthal walk, he was always running to his next patient. Miss Loomis, the lady that fell, was not hurt badly and my future brother-in-law carried her up stairs and actually took care of her for a few day. One thing I am not, is a nurse and I could never be a school teacher. I kind of was the handy man at age 13, and ran the house for my mother. Shoveled snow, mowed grass, burned the trash, fixed broken toilets etc.
Being right around the corner from Main Street it became a hang out for a number of young people both Drury and St Joe. I went to St. Joe. My Mother never objected, she said I always know where you are when you are home and didn’t mind all the company. Besides with all those elderly women upstairs keeping an eye on us, what could happen.
I miss those old days. There are still plenty of use who remember 74 Quincy Street, and its hospitality. It was a beautiful old house with tile fireplaces and beam ceilings, oak floors and built in cabinets.
The Miss North Adams Diner is gone and my Mothers Italian restaurant that was on State Street, near the fire station, 18 Lincoln Street where I was born, and now 74 Quincy Street are all gone. All I have is the memories of all those places. Sad. Time moves on.
| | from: Gabriella Mancini Bond | on: 10-24-2009 |
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| A Low Life Landlord Walks Away From His Responsibilties And North Adams History Suffers. | | from: Sam Brown | on: 10-23-2009 |
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