New, upscale bed & breakfast celebrates Pittsfield's history

12:00AM / Wednesday, October 02, 2002Print Story | Email Story

A new lodging option became available in Pittsfield the first week of September, one that preserves and celebrates a elements of the city's history. The Thaddeus Clapp House Bed-And-Breakfast Inn, at 74 Wendell Ave., is the former home of the man of the same name, who was a wealthy owner of a textile mill in the city in the 19th century. The upscale bed and breakfast is operated by three innkeepers: Rebecca Smith, her sister Kathy McCave, and Robert Chok. Much of the mansion, which was built in 1871 and is on the National Register of Historic Places, has been restored, and many of the original fixtures, like bath tubs, remain, Smith explained. The house, which had inexpensive apartments since 1930, was in pretty rough shape when Smith purchased it, she said. Smith purchased the house during the summer of 2001 for nearly $300,000 and, although she would not reveal how much restoration has cost, she said it was "a lot more than I anticipated." She's quick to add, though,"it was worth it." Work to restore the house, which took one year, began shortly after the purchase and was completed this summer, Smith said. The four-story bed and breakfast has eight guest suites each named after a famous Pittsfield resident, like Herman Melville. Each suite has a formal living or sitting room, period furniture, hand-made Oriental carpets, a fireplace, a private bath with a whirlpool or a soaking tub, cable TV, a compact disc player, a central phone system with a private number, a dataport for Internet access, robes, an iron and ironing board, a hairdryer, a refrigerator, air conditioning, and coffee and tea service. A full breakfast is served every morning in the dining room, which was once the Clapps' drawing room, Smith said. Afternoon tea is enjoyed daily on the front porch or in the drawing room. Rates at the inn vary by suite, season and day of the week. During the in-season, Memorial Day weekend through Oct. 31, the average rate for a weekend day is $310, and for mid-week is $187.50. During the off-season, which encompasses the rest of the year, the average rate for a weekend day is $212.50, and for mid-week is $137.50. Corporate rates are available for businesspeople planning an extended stay at the inn, Smith said. The bed and breakfast currently has some fall packages featuring reduced rates. It was difficult upgrading the Thaddeus Clapp House to modern building codes and installing modern amenities while simultaneously retaining its historicalness, but they were able to do it, Smith said. The renovation included installation of an entirely new electrical system, alarms, a monitoring system, beams for each of the four stories, and porch columns. "We tried to take it back to what it looked like when they [the Clapps] were here," Smith said, adding that a lack of photos of the inside of the house made it more challenging. Smith said 90 percent of the house remains "the way it was." Much of the meticulous restoration of features of the house, including a number of plaster ceilings with ornate designs and bathtubs, was done by Jay E. Baptiste, a celebrated restoration consultant who lives in Pittsfield and has done work all over Berkshire County but mostly in New York City, Boston and Connecticut, Smith said. Besides Melville, the other famous, historical Pittsfield residents who have suites named after them include General William Bartlett, William Stanley, Sara Morewood, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Thomas Allen, Theodore Pomeroy and Thomas Colt. Smith and Chok said that business has been pretty good so far and that their guests have been very happy. In their first month, they have hosted guests from England, Houston, Austin, Denver, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, New York, New Hampshire, and the suburbs of Boston. How did Smith end up setting up an upscale bed and breakfast locally? Originally from Agawam, Smith worked all over the country as an organizational planner and a statistical analyst. When her parents became ill two years ago, Smith left her job in California and moved back to the Springfield area to help her sister take care of them. Eventually Smith, who had operated a successful bed and breakfast in California's wine country, began to look around Berkshire County for a house in which to start a bed and breakfast. Having spent six summers at Bonnie Brae Camp and time at Tanglewood and Jacob's Pillow during her youth, Smith said she "had really, really, really positive feelings about the area." "The Berkshires were just perfect," she said. She said she first looked for properties in Great Barrington, Lee, Lenox, Stockbridge and Williamstown, but couldn't find anything. After four months with no luck, and tired of living out of a suitcase, Smith began specifically looking for a multi-family house where she could live. She discovered the Thaddeus Clapp House, which immediately struck her fancy. "I virtually bought the house on the spot," she said. Smith said she had met Chok in California, where he operated a bed and breakfast eight miles west of the one she owned. She called Chok, who said he had sold his inn and wasn't sure what wanted to do next, and asked him if he would want to be an innkeeper at the Thaddeus Clapp House. The New Jersey native and former Chase banker said he would and arrived in Pittsfield the week before Thanksgiving 2001. What does the future hold for Pittsfield's newest bed and breakfast? A ninth suite, which has a private porch, will be renovated in the spring, as well as the area that was once a servants' wing of the house, Smith said. In January or February, an eight-scene play involving 25 to 36 actors will be performed in the house. Written by Peter Bergman of Pittsfield, it is an authentic reproduction of a performance that occurred in the house when the Clapps lived there, Smith said. For more information about the Thaddeus Clapp House, call 499-6840 locally, or toll-free (888) 499-6840 if outside the area. The e-mail address is: info@ clapphouse.com. The website of the bed and breakfast is: www.clapphouse.com.

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.

McCann Recognizes Superintendent Award Recipient

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
05:32PM / Tuesday, December 23, 2025

Landon LeClair and Superintendent James Brosnan with Landon's parents Eric and Susan LeClair, who is a teacher at McCann.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Superintendent's Award has been presented to Landon LeClair, a senior in McCann Technical School's advanced manufacturing course.

The presentation was made last Thursday by Superintendent Jame Brosnan after Principal Justin Kratz read from teachers' letters extolling LeClair's school work, leadership and dedication.

"He's become somewhat legendary at the Fall State Leadership Conference for trying to be a leader at his dinner table, getting an entire plate of cookies for him and all his friends," read Kratz to chuckles from the School Committee. "Landon was always a dedicated student and a quiet leader who cared about mastering the content."

LeClair was also recognized for his participation on the school's golf team and for mentoring younger teammates.

"Landon jumped in tutoring the student so thoroughly that the freshman was able to demonstrate proficiency on an assessment despite the missed class time for golf matches," read Kratz.

The principal noted that the school also received feedback from LeClair's co-op employer, who rated him with all fours.

"This week, we sent Landon to our other machine shop to help load and run parts in the CNC mill," his employer wrote to the school. LeClair was so competent the supervisor advised the central shop might not get him back.

View Full Story