A key parcel on Spring Street has, as long expected, been given to Williams College. The college yesterday announced the completion of the gift of the former B&L service station property from financier Herbert A. Allen, a 1962 Williams College graduate.
And last week, eminent architect and urban planner Denise Scott Brown talked about the overall college planning process, and sought opinions from college and community members. Scott Brown said her particular interests are the intersections between colleges and their communities.
In yesterday’s release, Williams President Morton Owen Schapiro said, “The college is extremely grateful to Herb Allen for this timely and important gift.
“He has long been committed to Williams and to the health of the business community in Williamstown, especially on Spring Street. This gift is a wonderful example of both, as it clears the way for further development of the street’s south end to complement the attractive and functional new home for the American Legion.â€
Planning will now begin in earnest for the B&L parcel, located at the corner of Spring and Latham streets, the college said.
“We will be talking with those involved with the town planning processes for their input on the uses and the look of what gets built there,†said Vice President for Administration and Treasurer Helen Ouellette.
“Given the needs and opinions that have already been expressed, though, I anticipate a building that combines retail on the ground floor and residential units above. The project might be able to address the need in the area for public restrooms.â€
Allen’s longterm support of the college includes a gift of $20 million for a planned performance center for theater and dance. He purchased the B&L property from Arthur LaFave, who had operated the service station for 33 years.
At last Thursday’s discussion on planning at the college’s Griffin Hall, Scott Brown addressed the issues of expanding the town’s central business district, with the related issue of connecting Spring and Water streets, and, a traditionally touchy issue, expanding campus buildings.
Although the town is undergoing its own master planning process, Scott Brown had her own observations. She recommended public uses, and perhaps sculpture, to draw pedestrians from Spring to Water street north of Latham.
Connecting the two is difficult because of topography, she said.
“There’s very tricky topography,†said Scott Brown, citing particularly the escarpment that restricts access to Spring Street to the west.
“There’s difficulty reaching Spring Street. The town is surrounded by large mountains, and the hills in town recreate that landscape in miniature. That may make social aggregation difficult, but it makes the town very beautiful,†she said.
Anita Barker of the town’s Planning Board said “we understand the college plans to expand its athletic facilities, and it makes it difficult for us to plan (for a Water-Spring street connector) if we don’t know what the college is planning for Latham Street.â€
Scott Brown said the town’s center is “very small and very limited.â€
She said she believes the new retail will be farther along Water Street around the former General Cable building.
“I believe something here will be the new retail,†she said, gesturing toward that section of a town map. “But it has to be studied and understood. Look at all the impediments, a park, river, floodplain.â€
She recommended incorporating public uses in buildings along a proposed connector way, saying “when retail continuity ends, stores have had a hard time surviving.â€
“There’s a very big problem here getting some of that continuity,†she said. “That’s what I’d say to the town’s planners.â€
Ouellette introduced Scott Brown, saying “we’re not at this point doing a full-fledged campus plan.â€
Areas to be considered, said Ouellette, are circulation (of traffic, services, bicycles, pedestrians); the three big building projects — the theater and dance center, the expansion of Baxter Hall into a comprehensive student center, and the enlargement of Stetson Hall; and management of the upheaval that these construction projects will entail.
In planning construction, Ouellette said, “we need to determine the characteristics that matter to us. What are our sacred spaces?â€
Scott Brown said the Philadelphia-based architectural firm — which includes architect Robert Venturi — in the mid 1980s began addressing college and university campus planning — “Particularly campuses which interact with towns.â€
“We need to understand the characters of Williams College and Williamstown. We’ll be learning about them and learning from them, with our receptors as open as we can,†she said. “We’ll talk a lot about patterns,†she said. The result, she said, will be “not a plan but alternatives.â€
“We’ll try to look at a pattern that includes town and gown.â€
She noted that Williams is “not a pure campus. . . There’s a main route right through campus. That’s your uniqueness, your joy, and also your difficulty.â€
The area of Sawyer Library and Stetson Hall is key land for the expansion in the liberal arts, she said.
And she spoke of approaches to expansion on college campuses. One way, she said, is to leave the historic center, and add more densely at the periphery, the way facilities for athletics and the sciences have been expanded at Williams.
“Some building can and should be dense so it doesn't intrude,†she said.
Scott Brown noted that the campus is organized very loosely, with “a long, green public park (the town green) through it.â€
“Every time you build buildings the view changes. You need to know which views should not change. It’s a weighing of values.â€
And in response to Stuart Shatken’s remark on the need to consider the large, seasonal influx of visitors, so essential to the town’s economic survival, Scott Brown remarked that the theater and dance performance center is in “the right location. It draws them to the edge, and makes them pedestrians sooner.â€
The center had originally been planned for Dennison Park by the foot of Spring Street, a location that drew heavy criticism from townspeople, and many faculty as well. Schapiro, shortly after becoming president, announced the change in location.
Scott Brown said, “Spring Street is very important.â€
Many small town main streets have been taken over by chains, but “that hasn’t happened on Spring Street,†she said. “You should be trying to keep the privately-owned retail businesses in little old buildings. Growth should be near it.â€
And the difficulty of access and small scale of the street have helped preserve that mix, she said.
Other college and university campuses her firm has worked on include Harvard, Yale, Princeton, the University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth, the University of Michigan, UCLA and the University of California at Santa Barbara.
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Berkshire County Homes Celebrating Holiday Cheer
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
There's holiday cheer throughout the Berkshires this winter.
Many homeowners are showing their holiday spirit by decorating their houses. We asked for submissions so those in the community can check out these fanciful lights and decor when they're out.
We asked the homeowners questions on their decorations and why they like to light up their houses.
In Great Barrington, Matt Pevzner has decorated his house with many lights and even has a Facebook page dedicated to making sure others can see the holiday joy.
Located at 93 Brush Hill Road, there's more than 61,000 lights strewn across the yard decorating trees and reindeer and even a polar bear.
The Pevzner family started decorating in September by testing their hundreds of boxes of lights. He builds all of his own decorations like the star 10-foot star that shines done from 80-feet up, 10 10-foot trees, nine 5-foot trees, and even the sleigh, and more that he also uses a lift to make sure are perfect each year.
"I always decorated but I went big during COVID. I felt that people needed something positive and to bring joy and happiness to everyone," he wrote. "I strive to bring as much joy and happiness as I can during the holidays. I love it when I get a message about how much people enjoy it. I've received cards thanking me how much they enjoyed it and made them smile. That means a lot."
Pevzner starts thinking about next year's display immediately after they take it down after New Year's. He gets his ideas by asking on his Facebook page for people's favorite decorations. The Pevzner family encourages you to take a drive and see their decorations, which are lighted every night from 5 to 10.
In North Adams, the Wilson family decorates their house with fun inflatables and even a big Santa waving to those who pass by.
The Wilsons start decorating before Thanksgiving and started decorating once their daughter was born and have grown their decorations each year as she has grown. They love to decorate as they used to drive around to look at decorations when they were younger and hope to spread the same joy.
"I have always loved driving around looking at Christmas lights and decorations. It's incredible what people can achieve these days with their displays," they wrote.
The Wilsons' invite you to come and look at their display at 432 Church St. that's lit from 4:30 to 10:30 every night, though if it's really windy, the inflatables might not be up as the weather will be too harsh.
In Pittsfield, Travis and Shannon Dozier decorated their house for the first time this Christmas as they recently purchased their home on Faucett Lane. The two started decorating in November, and hope to bring joy to the community.
"If we put a smile on one child's face driving by, then our mission was accomplished," they said.
Many homeowners are showing their holiday spirit by decorating their houses. We asked for submissions so those in the community can check out these fanciful lights and decor when they're out.
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