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Many students walked down these hallways.
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The one-bedroom apartments have a "loft-type" design to them.
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Some tenants have already moved in.
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The building was constructed in 1937.
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Kitchen appliances were added to the classrooms.
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The floors and the frames to the chalkboards were kept to secure the historic feel.

Pittsfield Developers Unveil Notre Dame School Renovations

By Andy McKeeveriBerkshires Staff
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Developer David Carver poses for a photo with a group of former Notre Dame parishioners who wanted to see what happened to their old school.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The transformation of the former Notre Dame School into apartments was unveiled Thursday as the developers are in the final stages of the redevelopment.

Scarafoni Associates was granted a special permit in February to renovate the former parochial school and has spent the last seven months transforming the classrooms into 11 apartments. The developers have already rented six of the 11 units and hope to fill the rest this month.

According to Craig Barnum of Scarafoni Associates, the developers paid close attention to preserving the historic details of the building in going so far as keeping all of the original floors and the outlines of the chalkboards.

"The nuts and bolts of this building are really, really good," Barnum said at an open house Friday afternoon. "We did our best to keep the historical integrity."

The first floor features four apartments — two two-bedrooms and two one-bedrooms — while the second floor features seven one-bedrooms.  Former owner Sam Kasten, who operates a weaving business in the basement level, will continue his business there.

The building was constructed in 1937 with a convent next to it. The convent was demolished and a garden area was installed in its place. A main feature of the garden is a bench constructed from the foundation of the convent.

"It was built in 1937 and one of the first, of this size, to be built with steel," owner David Carver said. "We worked with the Mass Historical Commission to keep all of the 'historic fabric.'"

Carver said that while he previously estimated that it would cost around $1 million, even more went into the renovation.



The first tenants moved in around the beginning of September and Scarfoni is working with local real estate agents Whaling Properties to lease it.

The entrance still features the word "filles" for girls, who would enter at a different door than the boys.

"We're just helping to lease it," Whaling Properties owner George Whaling said. "You would think we'd be competitors, but it is in our best interest to have more market-rate housing downtown."

Barnum said transforming older, vacant buildings is helping to build the economy of the future by bringing feet to the downtown where residents can shop with local vendors.

"You have this downtown infrastructure that was built for yesterday's economy," Barum said.

City planners also attended the open house to see firsthand how the developments they supported turned out.

Meanwhile, there was no loss of nostalgia for those who attended school there. A group of former Notre Dame parishioners - including one aged 102 and another who graduated from the school in 1944 - were happy with the renovation.

"I'm just very excited," one of the ladies said, though she didn't want to give her name. "They kept so many memories for us. I am so glad they did it."

She specifically pointed to engravings above the entrance that reads "filles" while on the other door it reads "garcons" because "heaven forbid boys and girls used the same entrance."

And as for the convent, "we were glad to see that go."


Tags: housing,   renovation,   school reuse,   

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ADOPTED! Companion Corner: Cali and Kyzer at Berkshire Humane Society

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

Great news, Kyzer and Cali found a home for Christmas already! Still looking for a new friend for the holidays? There are plenty of dogs and cats and small animals at Berkshire Humane who would love to go home with you.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There's a bonded dog pair awaiting a new family at the Berkshire Humane Society.

Kyzer and Cali are both poodles. Kyzer is the male and is 7 years old, a quite a bit bigger than his sister Cali, who is a miniature of Kyzer and 8 years old.

Canine adoption counselor Rhonda Cyr introduced us to the two.

"They came from a household that couldn't hold on to them, and it sounds like they may have been abandoned by their previous owner with somebody else, and so they came to us looking for a new home," she said.

The two love to be around you and snuggle. But both are very happy dogs.

"Kyzer is 7 years old, and his personality is that he kind of wants to be in everything. He's very loving, very snuggly, as you can tell. And Callie here, she's 8 years old, and she is kind of like the life of the party," said Cyr. "She wants to tell you everything about her day, and she's a little bit of a little ham."

The two are considered seniors and really like soft treats as Cali just had a few teeth removed and Kyzer has a tooth procedure coming up.

"Currently, they really like soft treats, because they are both on the senior side of things. So they have had some dental work, so they are really in need of something softer. They are not big chewers at this age, really, their main focus right now is just really socializing and cuddling," Cyr said.

The two would love a quiet home with someone who wants to snuggle. They shouldn't go to a home with bigger dogs but if you have a dog, you can bring them in for a visitation with the poodles to see if they will get along. Cats will be fine and the preference is for older and more responsible children so that the pups don't get hurt, as they are senior citizens.

"The perfect home for them would be a quiet home that's not too active. Like I said, they're very social, so they could handle some visitors," she said. "They're very friendly, but I don't think that they would really enjoy any other dogs in the home."

Poodles need to be regularly groomed, and the prospective adopter will have to keep an eye on their health. Kyzer has a heart murmur that needs to be monitored. This doesn't mean he is in bad health, as he could live a perfectly normal life, but he will need to be checked by a veterinary specialist routinely.

"Ideally, he would go to a home that could provide further health care with a specialist in cardiac care. And you know, he could very well live out the rest of his life comfortably and happy," Cyr said. "We just don't have all that information at the moment, but I think that you know the way he's going right now. He's got a good spirit, and he seems to be pretty happy."

The shelter is hoping the to get them a home for the holidays.

"We would love to get them a home in time for the holidays. They've been here since the eighth of November, and they're really, really looking as much as the staff loves them here, we're really looking to get them into a home and somewhere nice and cozy so they can spend the rest of their life together," she said.

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