North Adams Building Torn Down

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The River Street Package Store was torn down on Monday.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The former River Street Package Store bit the dust on Monday.

The two-story building at 177 River St., which also had contained apartments, was demolished after being mostly empty for a number of years.

The structure and business had been owned by the Lora family of Stamford, Vt., for many years. Joseph S. Lora III sold the building to Berkshire Hills Development Co. LLC in December for $250,000; the business was relocated to the east end of River Street, in the former Lopardo's Liquors.

The principal of Berkshire Hills is John S. "Jack" Wadsworth Jr., a partner in the Porches Inn on the west side of the building. Berkshire Hills also owns properties on Veazie and Houghton Street.



Another building yards away, the former Homestead Tavern at 155-159 River St., was purchased on Nov. 22, 2013, for $130,000 by Ginko Power LLC, of which Wadsworth is also a principal.

A motorcycle group had attempted to open a club in the empty bar but was forestalled by the sale. A number of neighbors, including the Porches Inn, had opposed the club.

The package store building had had two commercial storefronts; the one the corner of Houghton and River had been empty for some years and was damaged in 2008 when a police cruiser went through the wall.

Developers at various times attempted to purchase structures around the Houghton, Marshall and River streets intersection, often with the backing of the city, to make the area around Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Arts and the Porches more tourist friendly.

 

 


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Macksey Updates on Eagle Street Demo and Myriad City Projects

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff

The back of Moderne Studio in late January. The mayor said the city had begun planning for its removal if the owner could not address the problems. 
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Moderne Studio building is coming down brick by brick on Eagle Street on the city's dime. 
 
Concerns over the failing structure's proximity to its neighbor — just a few feet — means the demolition underway is taking far longer than usual. It's also been delayed somewhat because of recent high winds and weather. 
 
The city had been making plans for the demolition a month ago because of the deterioration of the building, Mayor Jennifer Macksey told the City Council on Tuesday. The project was accelerated after the back of the 150-year-old structure collapsed on March 5
 
Initial estimates for demolition had been $190,000 to $210,000 and included asbestos removal. Those concerns have since been set aside after testing and the mayor believes that the demolition will be lower because it is not a hazardous site.
 
"We also had a lot of contractors who came to look at it for us to not want to touch it because of the proximity to the next building," she said. "Unfortunately time ran out on that property and we did have the building failure. 
 
"And it's an unfortunate situation. I think most of us who have lived here our whole lives and had our pictures taken there and remember being in the window so, you know, we were really hoping the building could be safe."
 
Macksey said the city had tried working with the owner, who could not find a contractor to demolish the building, "so we found one for him."
 
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