image description — Volunteers begin restoration work at a single-family home on Grove Street in Great Barrington for Central Berkshire Habitat for Humanity.

Central Berkshire Habitat Begins Work on Great Barrington Home

01:36PM / Monday, April 11, 2022Print Story | Email Story

The house at 40 Grove St. was sold to Habitat by the town and its Affordable Housing Trust to create an affordable housing opportunity for a local family.

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Central Berkshire Habitat for Humanity is working on a newly purchased property located at 40 Grove St.

This late 1800s home is being renovated as the first step to Habitat providing affordable homeownership in South County. The town of Great Barrington and its Affordable Housing Trust chose to sell this three-bedroom home to Habitat as part of their ongoing efforts to keep the area affordable for those hard-working families that work in the area.

After renovations, this home will be made available for sale using a lottery system later this year according to the state Department of Housing and Community Development standards.

The lottery system gives all eligible applicants an equal chance of purchasing the home. Habitat will have trained volunteers to help people interested in purchasing this home available throughout the process.

With rental costs rising, opportunities like this one can give people a chance to own a home and build wealth for their families while having an affordable payment.

Habitat can only offer homes at an affordable price with the help of volunteers and contractors, so the call for those interested in helping out has begun.

Habitat's goal is to bring people together to build homes, communities and hope, and to do that it needs to develop a core group of "Habitat Champions" who will be able to shape the work the organization does in South County. Habitat welcomes anyone wishing to join its team, whether the are skilled or just want to learn and be a part of building something bigger than themselves.

In March, Habitat held an open house for volunteers at the Grove Street house as a first step to getting to know the neighbors and give those interested an idea Habitat is and does. In the past few weeks, volunteers have helped to shore up the building for safety, clean out the house's contents, and remove drywall. In the coming month, the foundation will need to be stabilized so that volunteer crews can begin the renovation work needed.

This project is just the first of many projects planned in Great Barrington and Housatonic. In addition to this home renovation, Habitat is working with the Affordable Housing Trust to build up to 20 affordable homes on a piece of land on North Plain Road in Housatonic.

"We believe that everyone should have a decent place to call home. Together, we achieve that vision, when we all come together sharing our traditions and customs to build a better community," said Habitat officials.

Check out the volunteer page at BerkshireHabitat.org or call 413-442-3181 to get involved.

Tags: habitat for humanity,

iBerkshires.com Text Ads

rk MILES Blding Materials

Are You Ready to Update Your Home? Start With rk MILES. 4 Locations (800)670-7433

www.rkmiles.com

RIBCO Supply

Check out our great lineup of Boss Plows, and spreaders. 2 Locations Clarksburg & Pittsfield!

ribcosupply.com

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Berkshire Bach Society Announces Two Organ Recitals

11:46AM / Friday, January 30, 2026

GREAT BARINNGINTON, Mass. — The Berkshire Bach Society (BBS) announces two organ recitals on historic organs in Housatonic and Great Barrington as part of its Organ Masters series.

The recitals take place on Feb. 7, 2pm, at the UU Meeting House in Housatonic, and on May 2, 3pm, at the First Congregational Church in Great Barrington with master organists Renée Anne Louprette and Peter Sykes.

"We celebrate Bach and his circle in our Organ Masters series and give our audience a chance to hear two of today's most distinguished organists bring the repertoire to life on important organs in our region," said Terrill McDade, Executive Director of the Berkshire Bach Society. "For good reason we've called the 1893 Johnson Organ at the UU Meeting House in Housatonic a hidden gem and the 1883 great Roosevelt organ at the First Congregational Church in Great Barrington a remarkable and innovative instrument that defies comparison. Both organs have escaped modernization and kept their original voices. They sound very much the way they did when new—and that provides a unique musical experience. Combine the authenticity of the instruments, the virtuosity of the organists, and interesting repertoire and we have a recipe for two very special events."

According to a press release:

On Feb. 7, Renée Anne Louprette presents The Baroque Dance Masters with works by Bach, Georg Böhm, Dieterich Buxtehude, and Élisabeth-Claude Jacquet de la Guerre, one of the most remarkable composers of the Baroque era. To enrich the audience experience, Louprette provides commentary during the program, demonstrates thematic material, and conducts a Q&A session after the recital. Notably, her program includes the Chaconne in G minor that was one of two pieces recently attributed to a young J.S. Bach and added to the catalog as BWV 1179. The work dates from 1705 when J.S. Bach was 20 and is one of the earliest finished works by him to survive. It dates from the same year that he traveled to Lübeck to hear Buxtehude perform, which had a profound impact on his compositional style. Berkshire Bach is pleased to give our audience an opportunity to hear the work live.

Renée Anne Louprette is Assistant Professor of Music and College Organist at Bard College where she directs the Bard Baroque Ensemble. She has performed on important organs throughout the world and in 2022-2023 received a Fulbright research grant to document the restoration of historic organs in Romania.

On May 2, Peter Sykes returns to play the great Roosevelt Organ in a mixed program of French organ music. Beloved by many, the Roosevelt was the most important organ in America at installation in 1883 and is the largest example that survives in largely its original form by innovative organ builder Hilborne Roosevelt. Cousin to presidents Teddy and Franklin, Hilborne Roosevelt established Roosevelt Pipe Organ Builders in 1870 and built many of the largest organs in America in the period. He introduced electricity into the workings of his instruments and coincidentally contributed to aspects of the early telephone, including inventing the automatic switch hook. His Great Barrington organ remains a sophisticated and expressive example of his craft that, in the hands of master organist Peter Sykes, inspires awe and can literally shake the rafters with its majesty, power, and beauty.

Join Berkshire Bach for The Organ Masters at 2pm on Saturday, Feb. 7 at the UU Meeting House in Housatonic and 3pm on Saturday, May 2 at the First Congregational Church in Great Barrington. Tickets: $45 Nonmembers | $40 Berkshire Bach Members | $85 Two-concert package | $10 Card to Culture. Children and Students under 25 with valid ID are admitted free. Visit www.berkshirebach.org/events for more information, including tickets and specific venue information.

View Full Story