Another One Bites the Dust: North Adams House Torn Down

Old Quincy St. Boarding

House Demolished

A backhoe makes short work of the big building; bottom, pulling off the roof reveals detritus from past residents.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Neighbors along Quincy Street were awakened Wednesday morning to the sounds of destruction.

A backhoe was methodically demolishing the house at 74 Quincy St., turning the former boardinghouse into a pile of splinters and trash within a few hours.

The Victorian has been among those in the last few years that have been targeted by the city as a blight on their neighborhoods. It was taken by the city in August 2008 for back taxes.

Daniel Connerton, a resident of Quincy Street and former chairman of the North Adams Historic Commission, said the building had once been a boarding house for young women who worked in the local mills.

The house had more than a dozen suites and single rooms, and Victorian stylings such as fireplaces, built-in wardrobes, marble sinks and woodwork, said another neighbor. The house has been empty for some time but had been carved into apartments.

MCLA Announces Four Finalists for Next President

03:46PM / Thursday, April 02, 2026

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts announced four finalists for the position of president, following a national search. 

 

The finalists were selected by the MCLA Presidential Search Committee and will participate in on-campus visits scheduled for the weeks of April 6 and April 13.

 

The successful candidate will replace President James Birge, who is retiring at the end of the term. 

 

The four finalists are David Jenemann, Michael J. Middleton, Sherri Givens Mylott, and Diana L. Rogers-Adkinson.

 

David Jenemann

David Jenemann is dean of the Patrick Leahy Honors College and professor of English and film and television studies at the University of Vermont, where he oversees recruitment, retention, curricular innovation, and advancement for an interdisciplinary college serving undergraduates from across the university, including UVM's campuswide Office of Fellowships, Opportunities, and Undergraduate Research. 

 

An internationally recognized scholar, he has published three books and numerous articles, with research spanning intellectual and cultural history, mass media, and the intersection of sports and society.

He holds a doctor of philosophy from the University of Minnesota and completed the Institute for Management and Leadership in Education at Harvard Graduate School of Education.