Pittsfield Historical OKs Demos for Fire-Gutted Home, Business
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Historical Commission approved the demolition of a residential and commercial property on Monday: 16 Von Nida St. and 108 West Housatonic St.
Two years ago, the Von Nida Street home suffered an extensive fire that gutted the structure and it has been uninhabitable since.
Community Development & Housing Program Manager Nate Joyner explained that this is being put forward as a part of the city's code enforcement process, as the building is in "pretty bad" shape and is still open and accessible.
"So we want to get rid of this one as soon as we can just to make it safer and more sanitary for the neighborhood," he said.
It was built as a single-family, three-bedroom home between 1912 and 1913 and was originally owned by Frank P. Gray, who worked as a printer and was involved with city politics.
The 2021 fire destroyed most features of the house such as doors and windows. It was believed to be a two-family home at the time. Less than a month after the fire, owner Stephen Furey passed away at the age of 55.
Board member Carol Nichols said the inhabitants of the house, historically, seemed to be all hardworking people. It was also home to a mason, a firefighter, and a mold maker over the years.
The West Housatonic Street property is located between the Hot Dog Ranch and Oasis Hair Design. The rest of the structure was demolished and the remaining 4,600-square-foot building formerly housed Pittsfield Small Engine Repair.
The applicants were unable to take down the remainder of the structure due to failure to adhere to Conservation Commission guidelines and received the panel's approval last month.
The plan is to eventually redevelop the site.
Last month, the commission voted to preferably preserve a carriage house located behind the Colonial Theatre's Thaddeus Clapp House on Wendell Avenue that was built in 1871. Earlier this month, it was announced that the theater could receive state funding for its demolition.
Due to a misunderstanding of the process, the theater had lapsed on the 60-day public hearing window based on a decision last year to deem it historically significant. Rather than making the organization restart its application, the panel in April decided to move forward with the public hearing process.
Members hoped that the theater company will take the next year to put an effort into restoring the structure to avoid demolition.
The theater previously reported unsuccessfully seeking out resources for the project but then received the $50,000 earmark for the barn's demolition in the state's fiscal 2024 budget.
It was on the commission's agenda but City Planner Jacinta Williams reported that she has no update on it.
Tags: demolition, historical building, historical commission,
