From Stanley to GE and Back Again: The History of the William Stanley Business Park

Despite having left the Berkshires in the mid-1980s, GE still holds quite an impact on Pittsfield.

If you’ve ever taken a drive along East Street, the evidence of GE’s past glory is still there, just in a different form. Cement lots are what are left of the former brownfield, but not for long.

The Pittsfield Economic Development Authority, or PEDA, was formed in 1998 by the City of Pittsfield and was charged with the task of planning and implementing the redevelopment of a portion of the former GE site. The focus of PEDA’s redevelopment is a 52-acre parcel, which has since been transformed into the William Stanley Business Park.

With two tenants already calling the site home and with many more ready-to-build sites available, the William Stanley Business Park is open for business and aims to continue the legacy of innovation left behind by its namesake, William Stanley.

In 1890, William Stanley, Jr., a Berkshire County native, established the Stanley Electric Manufacturing Company on what would later turn into the GE site. Thirteen years later, GE purchased the controlling share of Stanley Electric and began producing small-scale transformers, flat irons, electric fans and small motors.

GE later found its niche during the Great Depression, producing large-scale, high-voltage transformers that eventually powered huge public works, such as the Hoover Dam. Reaching its height in the 1950s and 1960s, GE was building the largest transformers in the world; it was during this time that Pittsfield saw its greatest economic success in the hands of General Electric.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. The market for large transformers began to decline in the 1970s due to oil shortages and limits on power consumption, resulting in the closure of GE’s transformer operation in 1986.

Leaving behind a rich history of innovation and success, the loss of GE did much more than impact Pittsfield’s economy. The majority of the area contained 1.6 million square feet of outdated, vacant industrial facilities on environmentally impacted land, which were subsequently demolished and the site cleaned, according to a Consent Decree and a Definitive Economic Development Agreement in 1999.

With such a rich past, steeped in technological innovation, it only makes sense that the future of the site is focused on economic growth and innovation. PEDA is focusing on the development of the city’s Life Sciences industry.

The site offers several opportunities for businesses in the life sciences, research and development information technology and finance; the site is also a designated EOA – or Economic Opportunity Area. Potential tenants may also qualify for various tax credits and incentive programs, including incentives for life sciences, biotech and medical industries.

With interest streaming in from around the region, and even the nation, the future is looking bright for the William Stanley Business Park. After all, it does have some big shoes to fill.