Berkshire County Historical Society Awarded Grants

02:47PM / Thursday, May 16, 2024Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire County Historical Society has received a $10,000 historic preservation grant from Preservation Massachusetts in association with the 1772 Foundation.

In addition, BCHS has received a $15,000 grant from the Jane and Jack Fitzpatrick Trust.

These grants will be used to replace lost historic louvered shutters to Herman Melville's historic home Arrowhead. Restoring these important architectural elements is in keeping with BCHS's mission to preserve and interpret Arrowhead returning the house to its Melville-era (1850s-1860s) appearance.

This project has grown out of information learned from a Historic Structure Report completed in October 2022. The earliest sketches and woodcuts of Arrowhead from the 1850s depict the house with louvered shutters, as would be appropriate for a farmhouse built in the eighteenth century. As time passed, however, the shutters appear to have been removed – the last known photographs that show the house with shutters are from the late 1960s. By the time the BCHS purchased Arrowhead in 1975 and opened the house to the public in the 1980s, the shutters were gone.

"We are thankful to Jane and Jack Fitzpatrick Fund, Preservation Massachusetts and the 1772 Foundation for their support of restoration projects at Arrowhead," said Lesley Herzberg, BCHS Executive Director. "Because of their support, and the support of other donors, we are able to create a more authentic experience of Herman Melville's home for visitors from all over the world."

Preservation Massachusetts, in partnership with The 1772 Foundation, has announced the recipients of a historic preservation matching grant program in Massachusetts. Preservation Massachusetts is the statewide non-profit historic preservation organization dedicated to preserving the Commonwealth's historic and cultural heritage and The 1772 Foundation plays a leading role in promoting historic preservation nationwide.

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Another Holmes Road Bridge in Pittsfield Down to One Lane

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
03:33PM / Tuesday, February 24, 2026

The location of the bridge on Holmes Road.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Another bridge on Holmes Road will be reduced to one lane indefinitely beginning next month and closed for the rest of the week.

It's the third bridge so far in the Berkshires that's been downgraded in the past month: The Briggsville bridge in Clarksburg is set to be replaced by a temporary bridge and the Park Street bridge in Adams has had weight restrictions placed on it.

On Tuesday, Pittsfield announced that the bridge over the Housatonic River, located between Cooper Parkway and Pomeroy Avenue will be reduced to one lane of traffic from Monday, March 2, until further notice.

"Due to a recent inspection by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation," a press release stated, it will be closed in both directions from Wednesday afternoon (Feb. 25) to Sunday, March 1, so that barriers and a signal can be installed.

Two years ago, a bridge farther down the road over the rail line reopened after a partial closure since 2019 and a full closure of more than 60 days.

The bridge over the Housatonic is identified as being structurally deficient by the state based on an inspection last October. Built in 1962, the 35-foot steel-and-concrete span has an overall condition of 4, or poor.

Pittsfield has identified a temporary detour during this work, using Pomeroy Avenue, Marshall Avenue and Cooper Parkway.

On March 2, two-way traffic will be restored in one lane and directed with a temporary signal.

Pittsfield reported that the state has selected this bridge for repair as part of the Funding for Accelerated Infrastructure Repair program and will take responsibility for design and repair "in an accelerated way." Gov. Maura Healey announced the program last month using funds from the Fair Share Act, and is part of the governor's $8 billion transportation plan.

iBerkshires has reached out to MassDOT for more information on this project.

Residents and officials celebrated the reopening of the bridge over the railroad in August 2023. It had been reduced to one lane since 2019 after being found structurally insufficient and in need of a $3.5 million replacement of the overpass structure. This included a new superstructure over the Housatonic Rail line, a restored sidewalk, improved bicycle access, pavement, and traffic barriers.

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