image description — The proposed reception hall at the Elm Tree House, included in Sarah Sylvester's senior project.

Williamstown Native Draws Up Big Plans For Elm Tree House

By Patrick RonaniBerkshires Staff
02:00PM / Tuesday, June 29, 2010Print Story | Email Story

Sylvester's proposed chapel would have a water-harvesting system. To view more of her designs, please visit here.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Sarah Sylvester always dreamed of getting married at the historic Elm Tree House on Mount Hope Farm.

The Williamstown native and graduate of Mount Greylock Regional High School got engaged last summer during a trip to Venice, Italy. Although the marriage proposal was in a storybook setting, her dream wedding isn't going to happen because the Elm Tree House, owned by Williams College, does not host private functions.

Sylvester, 23, used that as motivation to create her senior project this past year at Mount Ida College in Newton. She concocted a redesign plan for the Elm Tree House, turning it into a "one-stop, sustainable wedding spot" by incorporating eco-friendly guidelines established by her professor.

She graduated this past spring with a bachelor's degree in interior design after receiving an "A-plus" on her senior project. And her proposal for the Elm Tree House has garnered some favorable feedback from Williams College officials, as well.

"We've had a few ideas brought to us for the mansion, but nothing as well thought out as this one," said Diana E. Prideaux-Brune, the associate vice president for facilities at Williams.

Sylvester's 70,000-square-foot design includes sites for both the ceremony and reception, as well as lodging for wedding guests. She said the new design "eliminates the middle man" during the traditional wedding-day happenings, as well as "eliminating the human carbon footprint as much as possible."

The photo on top is a what the Elm Tree House looks like now. Below is Sylvester's redesign.

The most notable addition in Sylvester's proposal is a wedding chapel located behind the mansion. It includes a rain-harvesting system, which pumps water to the top of the building and streams it down all sides of the chapel.

In Sylvester's design, the mansion features three levels to go with the theme of a one-stop wedding destination. The first floor includes a reception area and an organic wedding boutique. The second floor, which is the one section that remains truest to the original floor plans of the mansion, has 23 hotel rooms for wedding guests, including a master suite for the bride and groom.

The third floor, which Sylvester said is currently "in shambles" and "not up to code," would be turned into the main reception hall. Her ideas include a honey-colored wood ceiling and glass walls to allow guests to view the surrounding mountains.

"The mansion is just beautiful," Sylvester said. "It's just this grand building, and it has such a dominant presence over a beautiful landscape."

Sylvester used Auto CAD Architecture and Sketch Up with Podium plug-in to create her designs. The visual portion of her project came after a semester where she had to research the property's history, which she then turned into a 130-page report.

The Elm Tree House is 72 years old and was originally built as a summer home for Alta Rockefeller, the third daughter of oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller, and her husband Col. Ezra Prentice, a prominent attorney out of Chicago. During the 1930s and 1940s, Ezra hired a group of geneticists to develop more profitable farm animals.

Shortly after Alta's death in 1962, the mansion was purchased by Williams College. The college sold the estate in 1978, but it was back on the market in 1984. The Purple Mountain Partners, a group of Williams College alumni, purchased Mount Hope Farm and donated the Elm Tree House to Williams College.

The mansion is currently used for educational activities.

Sylvester realizes that her design is far-fetched and she said there are an extraordinary amount of procedures that stand in the way of her proposal coming to fruition.

"It would be pretty expensive, so I don't think it would really happen," she said. "But it would be a dream come true."

Several Williams College officials have looked at Sylvester's proposal, including Director of Public Affairs James Koselar.

"I'd say that it's academically interesting, but the college has no intention to significantly renovate Elm Tree House," Koselar said in an e-mail to iBerkshires.com. "In terms of capital projects, our priorities remain construction of a new library and renovation of Weston Athletic Field."

Prideaux-Brune said she hopes to meet with Sylvester in the near future to discuss some of her ideas.

"I think she did a great job. It's an exciting proposal," she said. "It's big thinking, which I love. But with something that big, the ideas are not easy to implement.

"I suspect that something this major couldn't happen right away, but some of her ideas could be implemented in our long-term planning."

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WOW!!! I am so inpressed!!!! Sarah Sylvester is awsome!!!!!
from: Beth Schmehl	on: 06-28-2010 12:00AM I Agree (5) - I Disagree (1)

sarah i'n proud of you.good job
from: va n	on: 06-29-2010 12:00AM I Agree (3) - I Disagree (1)

Sarah am so proud of you what a wonderful idea. Keep up the good work,,, Love ya
from: Tina Bolner	on: 06-29-2010 12:00AM I Agree (2) - I Disagree (1)

While this is a cool, but unlikely, senior project, it leads me to ask; Why doesn't Williams rent out Mt. Hope? Given the economic times, with a hiring freeze and all the building projects that have been put off, why shouldn't they rent out the building and grounds for a couple grand a pop? What is the concern?
from: G	on: 06-29-2010 12:00AM I Agree (5) - I Disagree (1)

I'm quite sure Williams College allows members of the Faculty Club to host weddings there, it should in my opinion be extended to include Mt. Hope......make this young woman's dream come true, after all, she has lived on the property all her life!!! Fantastic job Sarah, congratulations on your future!!!
from:	on: 06-30-2010 12:00AM I Agree (2) - I Disagree (2)

Sarah...Congratulations on a wonderful Senior year project. You're an amazing young woman with a fantastic and prosperous career ahead of you. Go get 'em, Honey!
from: Marc & Nancy	on: 06-30-2010 01:04PM I Agree (5) - I Disagree (0)

Thank you all! I do believe that Williams may rent out to Williams alumni, not sure for weddings anymore, could be wrong thoughâ€¦ but there are also some people that live on Mount Hope that would have to be OK with all the extra traffic and people on the property, which is understandable. It would be a dream come true just because the grounds are amazing, and its home to me. But I found a great place that I am even more happy with in Bennington Vermont called Hubbell Homestead. It was a great project to work on, and Williams has been very helpful and supportive of my project thus far, so Iâ€™m very thankful to them for helping me with getting my hands on the original floor plans and the history of the property. -Sarah
from: Sarah Sylvester	on: 06-30-2010 07:04PM I Agree (3) - I Disagree (0)

Loved your design--nothing like it in this area.I wouldn't be surprised if your creative thinking starts something here!
from: Josh's mom	on: 07-05-2010 09:54AM I Agree (1) - I Disagree (1)

My father, Howard Garrigus, was the herdman at Mt. Hope Farm in the 1930's and we lived in the house directly behind the huge beautiful tudor style barn!! I, too, have dreamed of a wedding somewhere on the property for one of my daughters!! I do drive there a few times during the year and love to see the barn and also Elm Tree House. The barn has been let go but that would make a beautiful building for something other than "storage!" Good luck!
from: evelyn garrigus	on: 08-20-2010 07:18PM I Agree (1) - I Disagree (0)

All good points about renting out the place. However, when the college was given the property by the Purple Partners they (Purple Partners) placed restrictions on the use of the building and its land. No functions that aren't college related can occur there....none...not even for those employed by Williams. The Purple Partners, when they bought the land and house took pieces of land for their use and to build their homes. It's a shame that this beautiful house and its surrounding are being wasted and the frustrations expressed here are felt deeply by those who have to deal with the house, its past, its present and its future. It's a shame how the Partners can't see past their own wants and needs.
from: KJ Remesch	on: 08-22-2010 10:31AM I Agree (3) - I Disagree (1)

While I enjoy the idea of renting out Mt.Hope for specific functions (nothing too garrish or over the top), this design is something that should never touch Mt. Hope. How about leaving this gorgeous, stately mansion as it is, rather than turning it into some awful, modern piece of crap?
from:	on: 04-10-2011 08:13PM I Agree (10) - I Disagree (5)

Fun thoughts, Sarah, but your plan would forever ruin a distinguished old piece of architecture
from: John	on: 01-05-2012 12:26PM I Agree (2) - I Disagree (1)

Williamstown Finance Committee Begins FY27 Budget Review

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
05:49AM / Tuesday, February 24, 2026

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Finance Committee last week began its review of an "unexciting" fiscal year 2027 budget while continuing to monitor an unappealing trend line that could see the town facing a Proposition 2 1/2 override as soon as FY29.

Town meeting will have the levy capacity to approve the FY27 budget as drafted and presented by the town manager on Wednesday, partly because the spending plan for the year that begins on July 1 includes just one noteworthy increase in discretionary municipal spending.

As drafted, the FY27 budget would result in a projected 7.69 percent in the property tax levy from the current fiscal year — pending the final numbers from the town's largest cost center, the Mount Greylock Regional School District, which will not finalize its assessments to its member towns until March 19.

The town hall side of spending is up by about 2.8 percent in the proposed budget. Most of that is attributable to cost-of-living increases for current employees and fixed costs, like the town's contribution for employees' health insurance.

"The one thing I would say is apologies for bringing a boring budget forward that doesn't have a lot of excitement," Town Manager Robert Menicocci told the Finance Committee. "But with this audience, it's, 'Hey, we brought something really exciting to you guys. The growth is modest given all the pressures that are out there.'

"We're maintaining services as we know them. I think that's really strong news given the pressures that are out there. There's no erosion of services. There's no erosion of staff. We haven't had to go through a cut exercise. Still, that's at the expense of relying on the taxpayer to pay more taxes this upcoming year."

Finance Director David Fierro Jr. told the Fin Comm that most of the increases in expenses are because of the town's negotiated cost-of-living adjustments. He also included an estimated 9 percent increase in the assessment from Mount Greylock and a 10 percent increase in the much smaller assessment from the Northern Berkshire Vocational Regional School District (McCann Technical School).

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