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The structure, originally built in the 1800s and expanded in the 1870s, has previously been the site of a criminal lockup, a butchery, a shoe store and a photography studio.
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The auction was held Tuesday Dec. 6, after a walkthrough.
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The building has been vacant for several years, with visible damage to the building's outside brickwork and woodwork.

Former Moderne Studios Building Sold at Auction

By Brian RhodesiBerkshires Staff
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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The former Moderne Studios building at 19 Eagle Street that has been vacant for several years sold at auction for $100,000 on Tuesday.

$100,000 was the lone bid for the property, despite several interested parties showing up for the auction. Prior to the bidding, potential bidders were given a tour of the three-floor, 5300-square-foot building.

Skip Barry of The Barry Group Real Estate, who placed the winning bid, said he is unsure what he plans to do with the property but spoke highly of the building itself and its location on Eagle Street.

"I think it's a fabulous location and a fabulous building," he said, noting that he owns other properties in the downtown area."

Barry said he has no connections to any businesses or owners previously involved with the property.

Irving Shechtman & Co., Inc. ran the auction.

According to Historic North Adams, the original structure, 21 Eagle St., was built in the 1800s and had been the site of a criminal lockup between 1864 and 1869. In 1869, the building was deemed unfit for use.
 
The building was then bought by the Tower Brothers, Horace and Henry Tower who renovated the building and in 1876 began using it as their butcher shop. 
 
In 1870, the Tower brothers began building 19 Eagle St., expanding the property. This was completed in 1872.
 
The company went bankrupt in 1901. 
 
In 1915, the building was sold to Charles Kronick who opened a shoe store in 1920.
 
In the fifties, Moderne Studios Photography opened in the building. They closed in the early aughts. 

The building has been vacant for several years, with visible damage to the building's outside brickwork and woodwork.

The property received new electrical work in 2003 before its purchase by the previous owner in 2005. In 2008, an excavation of the basement took place, in addition to the construction of a rear egress from the second floor. In 2009, the previous owner added beams and structural steel.

The building can house one commercial space on the first floor and four residential units on the second and third floors.


Tags: auction,   Eagle Street,   

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North Adams Man Facing Drug Charges Is Charged Again

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A city man has been charged with drug violations after a search warrant turned up drugs and trafficking materials Friday at a Houghton Street apartment.
 
Ronald Schneider, 49, of North Adams, was arraigned Monday in Northern Berkshire District Court with trafficking fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute Class B substance (subsequent offense), and conspiracy to violate drug laws. 
 
According to police, members of the Berkshire County Drug Task Force and local police executed the search warrant at 255 Houghton St. in connection with an ongoing narcotics investigation.
 
As a result of the operation, investigators seized approximately 134.1 grams of fentanyl (when packaged for sale would have yielded approximately 6,705 bags) with a street value of between $26,820 and $33,525. They also found 12.3 grams of cocaine/crack cocaine worth $738 to $1,230, $945 in cash and digital scales and other material for drug packaging. 
 
Schneider was currently out on bail for an open case out of Berkshire Superior Court from an August 2024 arrest in North Adams in which he was charged with trafficking cocaine (18-36 grams) and conspiracy to violate drug laws.
 
Schneider's bail for his Superior Court case was revoked Monday and a cash bail of $75,000 was set for his new case.
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