Cheshire Inn Scheduled For Demolition On Friday

Update: The inn was still in one piece — or mostly in one piece — late Friday afternoon. The reason for the delay in demotion was not immediately apparent. The inn came down on Monday morning.

CHESHIRE, Mass. — One of the town's oldest buildings will come tumbling down on Friday.

The former Cheshire Inn is scheduled to be demolished after workers have already removed all the windows and chimney.

Preparations for the demolition began on Monday.

The South Street inn was one of the town's first buildings but it has since fallen into disarray.

"It's sad because it is a historic building. It was one of the town's first," Board of Selectmen Chairwoman Carol Francesconi said on Thursday.

The three-story inn dates back nearly 200 years. The top two floors had housed dining rooms and a dance hall, and operated in the latter part of the 1900s as Country Squire and Tiffany Greens. More recently, a tavern operated at the basement level.

"It was quite the gathering place for the town," Francesconi said.

Former owner Peter Krutiak had planned to sell the property for a Dunkin' Donuts, but ran into opposition over zoning and use of the historic building.

In 2011, the town took the property for back taxes after it sat dormant for several years. With holes in the roof and floors as well as vandals stealing items of worth from the building, it was deemed unsafe.

62 'Fighting' Hoosac Valley Students Graduate

Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
08:19PM / Friday, June 05, 2026

Class speaker Noah Rehill describes the class of 2026 as having a fighting spirit. See more photos here. 

CHESHIRE, Mass. — The 62 members of the Hoosac Valley class of 2026 were told to hold on to their fighting spirit during their graduation ceremony. 

"What gives me the most pride in Hoosac is the tenacity our students have. Everyone here is so passionate, which is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because we fight for our wins, and a curse because we do, indeed, fight," said class speaker Noah Rehill on Friday night. "... But nonetheless, you'll never find a bunch of kids from a public high school in rural Massachusetts with that much fighting spirit within them."

 

Rehill said the class of 2026 fought for audiences during performances, they fought on the Student Adult Advisory Board for better school conditions, they fought on the field, and fought through long nights studying.

 

And now they face a different fight.

 

"We've fought all the way through all the scary thoughts of who we would become when we leave this place," he said. "We've fought through college decisions. We've definitely fought through FAFSA. And here we are tonight, fighting through tears as we celebrate everything it took to get here."

 

Rehill thanked all of those who helped along the way including friends, family, and teachers. He said the school is filled with "hundreds of helping hands." He added that their education went beyond just math or social studies, and the graduates picked up some street smarts along the way.

 

He ended by calling out some community members who took to social media to point out the smaller class sizes graduating from Hoosac Valley. He said there was one message that stated Hoosac Valley's glory days were behind it. 

 

"To that I'd say I disagree and not to worry," he said. "Remember, I got this role by knowing all 62 of my classmates better than anybody, and I have to say that there's a certain magic that you may not see from the outside, but that radiates on the inside...What I've learned from the class of 2026 is that greatness isn't about how many people are standing beside you. It's about what kind of people are standing beside you...So, if anyone is worried that the best days at Hoosac are behind us, I got news for you. I think you're looking in the wrong direction, because the best days of Hoosac are sitting right here in front of you. Congratulations, class of 2026, and one last thing: we will always be better than Drury. Roll Canes.