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The Federal-style home was listed and sold by Lenox agent Dan Alden for $3,575,000.

Biz Briefs: Sotheby's International Sets Record in Berkshire County with Highest Sale Since 2013

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Charming cottage: William Pitt Sotheby's International Realty has announced the record sale of a 6,934 square-foot mansion in Lenox, Mass. – the highest sale in the region since 2013. The Federal-style home was listed and sold by Lenox agent Dan Alden for $3,575,000.

This property, "Thistlewood," was part of the famous "Berkshire Cottage" mansions, about 75 of which were built in Lenox and Stockbridge, Mass., during the Gilded Age in the late 19th century. Throughout this time, the wealthiest families in the country built these impressive mansions not only in the Berkshires, but also Newport, R.I. and Bar Harbor, Maine. The home at 151 Walker St. resides on close to 13 acres of land and was built in 1880 by architects Rotch & Tilden, a well-known Boston firm in the 1880s and 1890s.

Contemporary amenities abound in the home, which has been meticulously restored and updated for a modern lifestyle, featuring 10 bedrooms and eight and a half bathrooms. The property is within walking distance to Lenox village and Tanglewood, convenient to all Berkshire attractions, and is just two and a half hours from the New York and Boston metro areas. The grounds wrap the house with stately gardens, a pool and a pool house. Also, the original carriage house has been reinvented as a four-bedroom guest house. Other amenities include an alarm system, four fireplaces and a sun room.



One-stop shopping: Haddad Dealerships of the Berkshires is partnering with MountainOne Insurance Agency to offer onsite insurance sales, according to a joint announcement by Haddad Dealerships President George Haddad and MountainOne Insurance President Jonathan Denmark.

The strategic partnership allows MountainOne agents to sell personal insurance products within Haddad Dealership locations. Vehicle buyers will be able to work directly with MountainOne's licensed agents during a purchase in a seamless and integrated process. While obtaining vehicle insurance, buyers will also have the opportunity to review other policy needs with MountainOne’s representative, and take advantage of available multi-policy discounts. Clients will also be able to utilize the important in-house claims service at MountainOne Insurance, which provides personal assistance with the difficult and complex claims process, should the need arise.


Denmark said he will launch the partnership program with several agents onsite at Haddad's East Street locations.



Making an impact: Berkshire Bank has joined IMPACT 2030 as a collaborating partner. IMPACT 2030 is a private sector led initiative in collaboration with the United Nations and other stakeholders to leverage human capital investments through employee volunteer programs to contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Launched in 2015 and signed by 193 world leaders, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals look to end hunger, poverty, improve quality education and address climate action across the globe.

IMPACT 2030 directly addresses those goals at the local, national and regional level by facilitating private sector participation through corporate volunteer programs and providing multiple opportunities for engagement and participation. Berkshire Bank joins Google, UPS, IBM, Southwest Airlines, Johnson & Johnson amongst others and is one of the only small-medium sized U.S. based enterprises currently represented in the collaborative.
 
In addition to joining as a collaborating partner, the bank and IMPACT 2030 also announced that Gary Levante, Berkshire's assistant vice president/community engagement, has been named the regional voice lead for the effort in New England. In his role, he will help elevate awareness of IMPACT 2030, convene stakeholders across the region and serve as a representative to the collaborative. Levante first joined Berkshire in 2010 and manages many of the company's corporate responsibility programs including its nationally acclaimed corporate volunteer program. He's recognized for his expertise in corporate employee engagement and volunteer programs and has been invited to speak throughout the United States.

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

A Boutique Hotel is Bringing Guests a Luxury Stay in Lenox

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

LENOX, Mass. — A new Inn is bringing a boutique-style stay for visitors and locals to enjoy.

Owners, Sullivan Capital LLC, purchased the property, located on 135 Main Street, in 2024. After a year or renovations, Garden Gables Inn is open for business. 

"Garden Gables started off as one of the many Berkshire cottages, 1790 was the date on that, and it's always operated as an inn," said Hospitality Manager Yvonne Walton. "It's just a great gathering place and relaxation spot for people to come and get the feel of Lenox, and just slow down and enjoy the nature and the surrounding area...get culture and art and see some great concerts. I think it'll be a wonderful place, definitely does more of the upper-scale hospitality." 

Owners Niko Giallouis and Eric Sullivan bought the property from the former owner. Sullivan had his eye on Lenox since attending a wedding almost 10 years ago.

"I came to a wedding in Lenox, probably six or seven years ago. Personally, just kind of fell in love with the area, and I guess that's kind of how it got on my radar. So you know from that perspective, as we got into the hotel business out towards an area, it was a place I was kind of monitoring and waiting for the right property to show up."

After purchasing the two underwent a full renovation, a project that cost around $1.5 million. The building, first built in 1780, required some TLC. Sullivan's wife, Jessica, who owns Jessica Sullivan Design, designed the inn.

Sullivan said they installed a new roof, repainted everything, renovated the bathrooms, installed new floors, a new HVAC system, and new plumbing.

"We really touched everything from the outside...I mean, all the aesthetics and layouts changed a bit," he said. "As I said, put about a million and a half into it. All new furniture, fixtures, everything. The design's completely different. It wasn't a full gut, but it was a heavy, heavy renovation."

The two like to collaborate with local businesses, and they make a point to direct visitors to local restaurants, businesses, and attractions.

"If guests are asking for recommendations, our customer service team, our guest services team, will relay that kind of information. Even if we can call and make a reservation for somebody, happy to do it," he said. "We aren't doing breakfast, but what we do is we have partnerships with a lot of the breakfast places downtown. We actually purchase a gift certificates for each person each day, so that they can use that to go downtown."

Sullivan hopes that guests don't see their inn as just a place to sleep and dump their bags, but make it an experience for anyone who stays.

"We really focus on kind of the experience side of things, so again, we want to give you the best experience you can have here...and we want that not just to be the place you put your bag and go do things. It's important to think of everything," he said.

Sullivan said partnerships are important to their business and are a way to connect with locals.

"The local partnerships, I can't stress that enough, because no matter how much and how great the room is, people are still going to want to go do other things," he said. "So, I think it just benefits everybody if we're all working together and so forth, and supporting the community, being neighborly too, because we are surrounded by residential homes...But we really try to put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, a lot of love into the building, all the details, really care about the senses," Sullivan said.

The Inn's check-in and reservations are completely online. When guests arrive, all they have to do is check in online and receive their code that they will use to enter their room. Sullivan hopes this helps create less stress for guests and gets them to their room as fast as possible, especially after a long trip.

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