Adams Planners Approve Mausert Block Renovation Plans

Stephen Stenson of REDPM presented the plans to the Planning Board on Monday.

ADAMS, Mass. — The Planning Board has no problem with the proposed plan for the Mausert Block.

The board approved the site plan at a public hearing on Monday when the developers presented the detailed the proposal to restore the historic building to feature three new businesses and market-rate housing. Stephen Stenson, of REDPM, outlined the plans for the former Woolworth building.

On the ground floor, a new entrance is proposed in the rear, which replaces a steel fire escape. The plan has reduced the number of apartments from 18 to 10 and there will be one designated parking spot per apartment.

The path leading to the new entrance will be stamped asphalt. Both apartment entrances will be secured with security cameras and locked doors, Stenson said.

The back will also feature 750 square feet of outdoor seating for a proposed Asian fusion restaurant. That seating area will be raised above nearby parking spaces so those eating will be looking above the vehicles and there will be plantings distinguishing the eating area to keep alcoholic beverages from being passed outside of the area.

The developer will work with the state Department of Recreation to create a walkway from the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail and the rear of the building. The plan already calls for the installation of bicycle racks.

In other business on Monday, the board reviewed Steepleview Reality's plan to reconfigure property lines to take some land from the Miss Adams' Diner next to its offices. The company currently owns both pieces but is looking to sell the diner while keeping some of the land in the rear. The new owners of the diner would still have access to the property on both sides.

Planning Board had no issues with the plan; it was not required to issue an opinion.

Mausert Site Plan Narrative

Mausert Block site plan

Berkshire Museum Donates Cheshire Crown Glass to Town

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
07:15AM / Saturday, March 21, 2026

Historical Commission Chair Jennifer DeGrenier and Jason Vivori, Berkshire Museum collections manager, present the antique glass to the Select Board. 

CHESHIRE, Mass. — A piece of history has found its way back to the town with the donation of a well-preserved pane of bull's-eye glass made at Cheshire Crown Glass Works. 

 

Manufactured in 1814, the artifact was donated by the Berkshire Museum, where it had been since 1910. 

 

The glass will be on display at the town's new museum, located in the old Town Hall at the junction of Church and Depot Streets, alongside research and photographs gathered by the town's local historian Barry Emery.

 

Prior to being housed at the museum, the piece was at the Berkshire Athenaeum prior to the museum's founding, said Jason Vivori, the museum's collections manager. 

 

The glass was originally used in window making. Its distinctive bull's-eye center was formed when the molten glass was spun on a long rod to form large sheets, Vivori said. 

 

The bull's-eye rendered it unsuitable for windows today, but local historians admire the piece for its preservation, making it unique. 

 

There is another piece of Cheshire Glass in the old Reynolds store, Historical Commission Chair Jennifer DeGrenier said.