Pittsfield To Begin Study Of Springside House

The city is putting $30,000 toward a study of Springside House to set the stage for a future restoration.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city will have a plan for reuse of the Springside House by next June.

The City Council accepted a $30,000 grant on Tuesday from the state Historical Commission and will provide an equal match for a study of the building.

After being approved by the Finance Committee, the city accepted the grant and in six to eight weeks will hire an engineering firm to examine the house.

"We'll get into an evaluation of the house from top to bottom, a structural analysis of all of the systems, the foundation, the roof, the walls, everything about the house," said the city's Open Space Manager James McGrath. "We are going to find out where we're at with this building and what the challenges are."

The city will hold public hearings throughout the process. Once the study is completed, city officials will determine the course of rehabilitating the house.

"We're going to stick with this. We are in it for the long haul," McGrath said.

The grant only evaluates the condition of the building but Ward 5 Councilor Jonathan Lothrop called it a "critical" step toward doing something with the building. The city will likely have to spend more money in the future for any renovations.

McGrath said a selection committee will be formed to choose the firm for the study and will be focused on getting value for the $60,000 which will be spent.

Ward 1 Councilor Christine Yon said she is constantly asked about the building from people who want to save it. Those in the area have been "building momentum" for years toward restoring the building, she said.

"We really need to find a good use for it and restore it," Yon said.

The building is the main structure on the 275-acre Springside Park and is on the state's historical register. It was a private mansion until being gifted to the city and from 1940 until 2007 was the parks and recreation headquarters. Now a Friends of Springside Park group has been pushing for rehabilitation.

"I'm thrilled that they accepted the grant," Friends of Springside Park interim President Joe Durwin* said.

In other business, the council appointed John Jackson as a Fire Department captain and David Hathaway and Carolyn Valli to the Community Development Board.

The council also accepted the warrant for the municipal election, sent a petition from the Community Development Board to expand the downtown arts overlay district back to the board for public hearings and approved hiring a crime analyst for the Police Department.

*Durwin is a Pittsfield correspondent for iBerkshires.com.

Pittsfield Council Says 'Yes' to Soccer at Crane Park

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
06:35AM / Saturday, June 13, 2026

The pitch will have the logos of the city and the US. and Massachusetts soccer associations. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city is gladly accepting a "mini-pitch" from the U.S. Soccer Foundation to bring games back to Crane Park. 

Fueling excitement around the World Cup, U.S. Soccer has been working with the Massachusetts Youth Soccer League to make these facilities available to 20 communities — one of which will be at the park at the intersection of Benedict Road and Springside Avenue. 

The City Council accepted the gift on Tuesday during its regular meeting. 

A mini pitch is a compact, modular field typically used for soccer, and it can also accommodate inline skates. It has a galvanized steel border with built-in goals and a rubber plastic surface that is clicked together; installed on the existing inline hockey court. 

Ward 2 Councilor Cameron Cunningham said he has gone door to door speaking with nearby residents, and they are "really excited" about the upgrade. He also sees it as a great addition. 

"They say that nobody really uses the court a ton now, and they are excited to see kids back on there playing," he said. 

Decades ago, the Crane Park facility was a wading pool. It closed in 1980, and before the turn of the century, it was filled in and marked for hockey. 

Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources Manager James McGrath explained that the wooden border around the rink is showing its age, has been vandalized and tagged, and the facility is seeing a "real decline" in use. 

"This would seem to be an appropriate spot for us to remove the board system that's in place and install the mini pitch system through this grant," he said.