Berkshire Museum To Host Smithsonian Spark!Lab

By Joe DurwinPittsfield Correspondent
09:23AM / Tuesday, July 22, 2014Print Story | Email Story

Berkshire Museum is partnering with the Smithsonian Institute to host a Spark!Lab installation for two years.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — This fall, the Berkshire Museum will become one of only five sites in the United States to host a new kind of innovative science learning exhibit developed by the Smithsonian Institute.

Spark!Lab, a new multistation "creative laboratory," will open on an ongoing basis at the museum beginning in October, featuring 10 activities in which children and families can work together to solve practical problems using provided materials and tools.

"It's completely interactive, it's completely innovative, it's all about STEM," said Lesley Beck, director of communications. "It's just the sort of thing people are looking to do as a family activity now."

"Invention is a process, from creative ideas all the way to successful marketing," according to program's Web page as part of the Smithsonian Institute's Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation at the National Museum of American History. "Spark!Lab uses fun activities to help kids and families learn about the history and process of invention. You can play games, conduct science experiments, explore inventors’ notebooks, and even invent."

Museum staff say the new Spark!Lab, which will be installed for at least two years, will make a good complement to the Feigenbaum Hall of Innovation on the other side of the first floor. The new project is also supported in part by the Feigenbaum Foundation, as well as the Pittsfield Rotary Foundation, and other museum donors.

"It will be a standalone space in the very first gallery," Beck explained, replacing the current Dinosaur Dig station, which has become outdated. "That's being taken away, and there will be a whole new structure built in there."

In the Spark!Lab exhibit, visitors can try their hand at various challenges: experiment with architectural challenges, design a new kind of vehicle, create soundscapes, or invent a measuring tool.

"Bringing Spark!Lab to the Berkshire Museum directly aligns with our mission to bring people together for experiences that spark creativity and innovative thinking," William M. Hines Jr., president of the board of trustees said in a statement. "Coupled with the Feigenbaum Hall of Innovation and the SABIC Innovation Studio, Spark!Lab will strengthen the Museum’s reputation as a center for creativity and innovation in the Berkshires."

"Spark!Lab is a learning lab and while our visitors learn, we do, too," according to museum Executive Director Van Shields. "Spark!Lab will be an opportunity to work with the Smithsonian's Lemelson Center team to build a new level of expertise in developing experiences for all segments of our audience."

The Pittsfield museum is part of the first crop of off-site partners the Smithsonian is working with to grow a national network of Spark!Labs, based on the success of its prototype in Washington, D.C., which debuted in 2008.

"Here we are, Berkshire Museum here in Pittsfield, Mass., having these tremendous connections with the Smithsonian," said Beck. "Our affiliation is really blooming into a really strong relationship.

The space the Spark!Lab will occupy is being designed by architects Tessa Kelly and Chris Parkinson of CPTK Architects, both Berkshire natives with a focus on educational and cultural projects.

"I'm hoping that people are starting to think of the Berkshire Museum as maybe a little more cutting edge than maybe they used to think," Beck said.

Tags: Berkshire Museum, children activities, smithsonian, STEM,

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Friday Front Porch Feature: Allendale Pines North

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
05:13PM / Friday, February 13, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Are you looking for an inexpensive home to raise your family in? Then this might be the home for you. And if not, there's a couple other options.

Our Friday Front Porch is a weekly feature spotlighting attractive homes for sale in Berkshire County. This week we are showcasing model homes at Allendale Pines North.

Teton Management is opening its new manufactured housing development next Allendale Pines at 395 Cheshire Road, and has three different model homes to choose from.

The Monroe with a full porch and with a half-porch, and The Aspire are available to move into in March.

All the models have three bedrooms and two baths in 1,280 square feet, and include two parking spaces. The Monroe full-porch is on the market for $194,900, Monroe half-porch $189,900, and The Aspire for $204,900. View a video tour here.

The lot rent is $550 a month and it includes trash removal and recycling, as well as water and sewer. Tenants are responsible for their own utilities and lawn care/snow removal. Dogs and cats are allowed, for up to two pets.

We spoke with Val Whaling from Teton Management about the new homes.

What do you think makes this property stand out in the current market?

The three models — Monroe Full- Porch, Monroe Half -Porch, and The Aspire — are Titan Home products manufactured by Champion Homes and stand out in the current market because:

The purchase price of these homes is well below current market rate single-family homes in Berkshire County.

The 5 Star Energy-Efficient rating (featuring energy-efficient windows and high- performance insulation) and one-year warranty on the home, sets these homes apart from older, stick-built homes.
These homes are built to strict HUD standards and include structural integrity in order to meet federal standards for durability, safety and wind resistance.

Are there any stand-out design features?

Stand out features include: open concept floorplan, covered porches, stainless steel appliances, large laundry room /mudrooms, and large glass walk-in showers.

What kind of buyer do you see this home being perfect for?

First time homebuyers/ professionals preferring home ownership vs. renting, empty nesters wanting to downsize, and cost-conscious individuals preferring the affordability of these homes.

What's the neighborhood like?

Allendale Pines North will be comprised of 22 brand-new homes, on individual lots, set on beautiful property, neighboring the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail. The property is located at 395 Cheshire Road, Pittsfield, offering proximity to retail shopping and dining. Additionally, Allendale Pines North property is well managed by a reputable owner/operator. (All adult community residents are approved via community application approval process.).

What would you say to a buyer trying to imagine their life in this space?

"Imagine the cost savings of owning a brand-new, energy-efficient home, easy to maintain and allowing the convenience of modern day and easy living, in a quiet, well-managed community."

What does the home come with?

Included are: Stainless steel Whirlpool appliances (refrigerator with icemaker, dishwasher, and gas stove/oven), and closets equipped with shelf/hanging rod. Plus an 8-by-10-foot Amish built shed, two wooden entrance stairs with wooden handrails and black wrought iron spindles, two-car driveway, sidewalks and brand-new water/sewer infrastructure.

You can find out more about these homes on its listing here.

*Front Porch Feature brings you an exclusive to some of the houses listed on our real estate page every week. Here we take a bit of a deeper dive into a certain house for sale and ask questions so you don't have to.

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