Berkshire Insurance Group Relocates to Historic Old Town Hall

01:02PM / Monday, September 08, 2014Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Insurance Group, a Berkshire Bank affiliate, has moved its headquarters from 66 West St. to 43 East St. (Old Town Hall) in the city’s Park Square Historic District.

Berkshire Insurance Group's new headquarters will offer the following services: property and liability coverage for individuals and business clients as well as life, disability, long-term care and a full suite of employee benefits. Berkshire Insurance Group provides services in Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut and Vermont.

The interior renovations made to Old Town Hall by Berkshire Insurance Group included removing a teller line and a bank safe as well as constructing cubicles for its staff. All renovations were made with the utmost integrity to maintain the historic significance of the building. The new location is conveniently located in downtown Pittsfield and offers plenty of free off-street parking for customers.

"Our agency has a history of helping Berkshire County customers dating back to the 1870s," said Steven W. Cronin, vice president of Berkshire Insurance Group. "We are pleased to call the historic Old Town Hall our home, and look forward to continue to serve generations of clients."

Old Town Hall is a historic building on Park Square in the heart of downtown Pittsfield. Located at 43 East St., on the corner with Allen Street, this 1832 building served for 135 years as the center of municipal government. Built in the Federalist style to serve as the town hall, it became City Hall when Pittsfield became a city in 1891. The hall was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, and included in the Park Square Historic District in 1975.

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Pittsfield Housing Project Adds 37 Supportive Units and Collective Hope

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:01PM / Monday, December 29, 2025

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— A new chapter in local efforts to combat housing insecurity officially began as community leaders and residents gathered at The First on to celebrate a major expansion of supportive housing in the city.

The ribbon was cut on Thursday Dec. 19, on nearly 40 supportive permanent housing units; nine at The First, located within the Zion Lutheran Church, and 28 on West Housatonic Street. The Housing Resource Center, funded by Pittsfield's American Rescue Plan Act dollars, hosted a celebration for a project that is named for its rarity: The First.

"What got us here today is the power of community working in partnership and with a shared purpose," Hearthway CEO Eileen Peltier said.

In addition to the 28 studio units at 111 West Housatonic Street and nine units in the rear of the church building, the Housing Resource Center will be open seven days a week with two lounges, a classroom, a laundry room, a bathroom, and lockers.

Erin Forbush, ServiceNet's director of shelter and housing, challenged attendees to transform the space in the basement of Zion Lutheran Church into a community center. It is planned to operate from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. year-round.

"I get calls from folks that want to help out, and our shelters just aren't the right spaces to be able to do that. The First will be that space that we can all come together and work for the betterment of our community," Forbush said.

"…I am a true believer that things evolve, and things here will evolve with the people that are utilizing it."

Earlier that day, Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities Secretary Ed Augustus joined Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll and her team in Housatonic to announce $33.5 million in federal Community Development Block Grant funding, $5.45 million to Berkshire County.

He said it was ambitious to take on these two projects at once, but it will move the needle. The EOHLC contributed more than $7.8 million in subsidies and $3.4 million in low-income housing tax credit equity for the West Housatonic Street build, and $1.6 million in ARPA funds for the First Street apartments.

"We're trying to get people out of shelter and off the streets, but we know there are a lot of people who are couch surfing, who are living in their cars, who are one paycheck away from being homeless themselves," Augustus said.

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