Adams' Mausert Block Storefront Nearing CompletionStaff Reports
iBerkshires
08:18PM / Monday, March 26, 2012
The owners of the Park Street building have been documenting the progress of the project on their Facebook page. |
ADAMS, Mass. — Expect the plywood covering the front of the Mausert Block on Park Street to be removed in the next few weeks as the ground-floor part of the project is completed.
All but two storefronts on the first floor have been pre-leased with opening dates late this summer.
Braytonville Properties LLC purchased the dormant building last year.
According a statement from its development arm, RedPM, the facade of the building is nearly finished and the solid white oak front is being stained in preparation for a restaurant space at 23 Park St.
The windows on the left side of 23 Park will be able fully open during the warm weather for an urban cafe sidewalk setting. The restaurant will also open onto Armory Court in the back for a new outdoor seating area facing the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail.
The aluminum-clad storefront at 25 Park St., with the arched window, is an evergreen color to match the historical green color of the building windows and the predominant color of retail buildings in Park Street.
The former F.W. Woolworth storefront at 19–21 Park St. is clad in pebble gray aluminum to complement the historical sign band above. This Art-Deco band was retained at the request of the Massachusetts Historical Society and restored to the original red fascia and aluminum detailing. The columns were clad in bronze aluminum to complement the existing granite knee-wall below. The original Woolworth grilles will be cleaned, restored and, along with the red and brass trim of the sign band, refinished to maintain an historical connection to the iconic store.
Working in the colder conditions this winter behind the temporary plywood walls had been a challenge for the carpenters and storefront installers. A substantial portion of the storefront materials were funded through the Community Development Block Grant administered by the town of Adams for its facade program with building owner Braytonville Properties LLC paying for the remaining material, labor and permitting fees.
Local suppliers R.K Miles, Greenberg's and Carr's hardware and lumberyards were used to source the materials.
Included in the retail changes will be new storefronts facing the rail trail and a new entrance to the second- and third-floor apartments above.
The next milestone will be the approval of the building permits for the interior work for the remainder of the
project. As part of these proposals, building features are expected to exceed the state building code, including wider fire egress stairs, horizontal and vertical fire partitioning, additional smoke enclosures and a new life safety system. The residential portion of the $1 million project should be fully completed by spring 2013.
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