The Oblong Road estate that once belonged to novelist Sinclair Lewis and is renowned for its spectacular views has been sold by the Carmelite Fathers, a Roman Catholic order, to its next door neighbor for $2.1 million.
According to transactions recorded April 17 in the Northern Berkshire Registry of Deeds in Adams, the Carmelite Fathers sold the property at 239 Oblong Road to Linda H. White of 237 Oblong Road for $2.1 million.
Subsequently, that transaction was followed by three others.
The middle, 50-acre lot containing the 10-bedroom house and buildings, was sold to the KRSE Nominee Trust for $900,000.
Another parcel, of forest and uplands, was sold to the Macomber Mountain Nominee Trust for $10.
And White transferred, for no consideration, 101 acres to herself and her husband, Dr. Eric White.
Linda White, contacted by telephone, said “Our aim has always been to maintain the integrity of the property, and we think we’ve accomplished that.â€
Neither attorney Adam Filson, trustee of the KRSE Nominee Trust, nor attorney F. Sidney Smithers, trustee of the Macomber trust, would disclose the identities of the principals of the trust.
Filson said the house will be a private residence, not multi-family. There are no plans to demolish the buildings, which include a 22,000-square-foot concrete block addition that houses a chapel, dining hall and 30 dormitory rooms.
The Carmelite Fathers most recently operated the property as a retreat center.
But when it went on the market last year, a Carmelite spokesman in Middletown, N.Y., said the order planned to concentrate on its missions in Southeast Asia and the Caribbean.
The 1916 house, then called Thorvale, was home to Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Sinclair Lewis for five years, until 1951. The Carmelite Fathers bought it the following year for $60,000.
White is director of the Williamstown Theatre Festival’s Greylock Theater Project in North Adams. Eric White is an orthopedic surgeon at North Adams Regional Hospital.
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SteepleCats' Late Rally Falls Short Against Newport
By Ben McDonoughFor iBerkshires.com
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The North Adams SteepleCats had two runners in scoring position in the bottom of the ninth inning but could not complete the comeback, falling to the Newport Gulls, 5-1, at Joe Wolfe Field on Tuesday night.
The game got off to a disastrous start for North Adams as Newport scored twice in the opening inning without recording a hit. SteepleCats starter Samuel Formus struggled with his command, issuing three walks to begin the game. A fielder's choice plated the first run before a sacrifice fly from Cole Johnson made it 2-0.
Despite the rocky opening frame, North Adams' pitching staff settled in. Tyler Tedeschi entered in the first inning and immediately escaped further trouble by striking out Mason Ligenza with the bases loaded. Tedeschi then tossed 3 and two-thirds scoreless innings, allowing just one hit while striking out four and repeatedly working around traffic.
The SteepleCats' offense, meanwhile, was quiet early against Newport starter Burkley Bounds. North Adams did not collect its first hit until the fourth inning.
That spark came off the bat of Evan Meier, who ripped a double that hugged the third-base line and barely stayed fair. One batter later, Nelphie Lopez delivered the SteepleCats' biggest hit of the night, lining an RBI single to right field to score Meier and cut the deficit to 2-1.
The momentum was short-lived, however. Sean Stephenson followed by grounding into his second double play of the evening, ending the threat.
Newport answered in the fifth. Cade Brown singled into left-center field and promptly stole second base. After advancing to third on a flyout, Brown crossed the plate on a passed ball to extend the Gulls' lead to 3-1.
The Finance Committee in the last two weeks reviewed Public Safety, auditor, Zoning Board of Appeals, City Council, election and registration, Office of Community Development, city solicitor, License Commission, information technology, Planning Board, and vital statistics. click for more
On Friday, June 12, Matthew Parker will be arraigned in Northern Berkshire District Court for an incident that occurred on Wednesday evening, June 10, into the early morning of Thursday, June 11. click for more
The upper section of Houghton Street was blocked off for hours on Wednesday night as authorities sought to deal with an individual reportedly having a mental health issue.
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