Letter: Letter Writer Has Confidence in Restaurant Architect

Letter to the Editor05:00PM / Wednesday, July 27, 2022Print Story | Email Story

To the Editor:

In your article, "Porches Inn Gets OK to Proceed With River Street Demolition, New Restaurant," I was pleased to see that the project will be designed by the firm MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple, a Canadian firm.

I have crossed paths with Brian MacKay-Lyons over a period of more than 40 years. His award-winning work has consistently been of the highest quality and especially responsive to its setting. I have complete confidence that the Porches is doing North Adams a great service.

Sincerely,

Howard Itzkowitz
North Adams, Mass.

Architect (retired), Professor Emeritus, Southern Polytechnic State University

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North Adams Airport Commission Discusses Damaged Hangar

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
03:46PM / Monday, February 23, 2026

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Airport Commission discussed what to do with the now-closed, city-owned Shamrock Hangar on Tuesday.

Chairman James Haskins said that after pipes burst in the hangar last winter, the Shamrock has basically been sitting empty.

"Pipes were frozen in the walls and broke," he said. "It was shut down a year ago. The pipes are still broken, and the city did fix a broken pipe outside that led up to the building a few weeks ago, but we have to make a decision on what to do with that space and make a plan."

The city purchased the hangar in 2017 with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) funds. It was subsequently renovated and opened as a public space. Commissioner Dean Bullett expressed disappointment that the building was never winterized.

"This is something that should have never happened in the first place," Bullett said.

Haskins clarified that the city intended to winterize the property, but due to "overlap," officials could not get to the hangar quickly enough to do so properly. He noted that although some work has been done to repair the hangar, the project needs to be completed.

Airport user and former commissioner Trevor Gilman said that when it was open, the Greylock Soaring Club leased space in the hangar. The city waived the lease fee, and in exchange, the club maintained and cleaned the area.

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