image description — The former Christian Youth Center on Melville Street is being demolished to make way for a playground for the Boys and Girls Club.

Former CYC in Pittsfield Demolished

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
10:17AM / Friday, August 08, 2025Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — After more than 75 years on Melville Street, the former Catholic Youth Center is being reduced to bricks.

Only part of the building's facade remained Thursday as crews make way for an expanded playground that serves the Boys and Girls Club of the Berkshires' child-care program. The nonprofit purchased the abutting property in 2015, and it has reportedly been out of use since at least 2012.

Last summer, the Historical Commission voted to issue a demolition delay on the property, but it was withdrawn in the fall.

The club offers programs for children ranging from 2 years and 9 months to 5 years old. It also includes a SEED Program for children seeking an extra year before entering kindergarten.

"We believe that all children are special and unique, and develop at their own pace. They should be accepted unconditionally and treated with respect, patience, understanding and fairness. We also believe that play is essential to a young child's growth and development and that children learn by doing; through experimentation and 'hands on' experiences. While here at our Center, we encourage children to believe in and respect themselves and others, work and play cooperatively and have fun," the BGCB Children's Center website reads.

"At the Children's Center, we approach preschool education as a team; parents and teachers working together to ensure a positive experience for all of our children. Our mission is to provide a safe, nurturing and educationally stimulating environment where children, supported by dedicated teachers, can grow and thrive in all aspects of their development."

In August 2024, the Historical Commission issued a one-year demolition delay and hoped that the owners would come back with another plan. The more than 75-year-old building had been on the commission's list of endangered properties.

They then had a tour of the building and saw that it needed a significant amount of work.

Rather than having a "yearlong staring contest," the commission begrudgingly withdrew the one-year demolition delay in October 2024, recognizing that the owners were unwilling to save or sell it.

Club officials said saving the building would be a multimillion-dollar endeavor, and they were not willing to put housing in the space because they feel it would pose a risk to children in their programs. They shared sentiments about the former CYC and said this wasn't a light decision.

Tags: demolition,

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Pittsfield's This and That Sports Celebrating Six Years

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
12:34PM / Friday, October 23, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — This and That Sports is celebrating its sixth birthday with a party.

Owner Reggie Davis opened the collectables and card store at 128 Fenn St., pursuing a hobby he has had since he was a teenager.

He started with small card shows and later collected a broad range of items, including sports memorabilia, autographs, Beanie Babies, and Matchbox cars.

"It's been a long time, and it's not just cards. I mean, I collect everything. I love sports memorabilia, autographs," he said.

Originally from Great Barrington, he moved to Connecticut and operated a collectibles store there from 2004 to 2014 before moving back to Berkshire County. He worked for FedEx before opening the new store in 2020.

For the first six months, he balanced the store with his career with FedEx, with help from his wife, Crystal, who worked around her own overnight hospital shifts. He left FedEx to focus on the store full time and works with his son, Bret.

He said it is more than a job and he is happy to open his doors to the collecting community.

"It's like something that I looked at as a pleasure business. It wasn't about the money. It was more like bringing the collecting part of the hobby to Berkshire County," he said.

Davis said he misses live baseball in Pittsfield, recalling Pittsfield Mets games. He said collecting brings him closer to that feeling of watching a local team when he was younger.

"I've always remembered growing up as a kid of the Pittsfield Mets and then the Pittsfield Suns and baseball being here and I was a big sports person, I played a lot of sports, and it's kind of sad and I think I want to continue the sports collecting part, the hobby. You can't go to a baseball game here unless it's like a high school game. So it's kind of continuing the collecting part of the hobby without the actual sports being here," he said.

Davis said the store's customers have become friends. He added that he likes to see the younger generation open packs of cards.

"The amazing part about it is not just the kids, but the customers. Like, I have customers that've been coming in for four, five, six [years] even new ones that just started coming in like a month ago," he said. "We've been out to dinner with these people. We travel. Customers have become friends, even close friends, which is nice."

He said one of the most challenging parts of the business has been to keep everything in stock especially with the surge in popularity of Pokemon cards.

"We have people that stop in all the time, and they're like wow you got a great selection of Pokemon, you have a big selection, and I think that's you know we have distribution for sports and Pokemon, but it sells so quick," he said. "I think the hardest thing is to be able to keep product on the shelf."

Not only does he sell collectibles, but he also purchased a card grading company called Revolutionary Card Grading that he opened next door. The company, based in Georgia, produces specialized color-matched designs but card grading and customer submissions are now handled locally since taking full ownership of the company last year.

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