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The New Kimbell Building, owned by David Carver for 20 years, has been sold to an out of town investor.

85 Main Street Bought by New York Man

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
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Crews have been working on 306 Union St. intermittently since it was bought from the city at auction last year.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A significant downtown building changed hands on Wednesday, the third notable structure to be sold in the past week. 
 
The New Kimbell Building, better known as 85 Main St., was purchased by PKC Capital LLC for $1.65 million from 85 Main Street Nominee Trust.
 
David Carver bought the building in 2001 for $1.3 million from Gabriella and John Bond. The property is most recently assessed at $988,500 and contains and estimated 55 units. 
 
The block that encompasses 81 to 91 Main St. was built at the turn of the last century by two daughters of Jenks Kimbell, owner of the "old" Kimbell building that had been the city's first commercial livery.
 
It's been the home of notable businesses over the past century, including Apothecary Hall and McClelland's. It currently hosts a variety of accounting, investment and insurance firms, and offices. MountainOne Insurance and Investments has taken over much of the first floor.
 
The principal of PKC Capital LLC also purchased a different investment property last fall. 
 
Charalabos P. Bakalis of Glen Head, N.Y., picked up 306 Union St., a decrepit apartment building, for $50,000 at the city's fall 2020 auction of municipal-owned properties.
 
Operating as KCS Materials LLC, Bakalis applied for demolition and construction permits for an estimated $300,000 worth of work. The seven-unit building has so far been gutted, had new windows and doors installed and the exterior repaired and painted. Work has not been consistent, but people have been on the site for bursts of construction over the summer. 
 
That property had been one of nearly three dozen in North Berkshire owned by Richard Doherty early this century. Many of those were cited for health and safety violations and eventually went into foreclosure within a few years or were taken for back taxes.
 
Another major downtown building, the hotel, was purchased by NA Hotel LLC on Friday for $4.45 million. The structure is being called Hotel Downstreet and is expected to undergo a renovation in the coming months. 
 
And the third address, albeit smaller, is just as well known. 
 
The former Molly's Bakery at 27 Eagle St. was purchased by Catherine Cusack of Lakeville, Conn., on Monday for $292,500 from 27 Eagle Street LLC.
 
The building dates to the early 19th century and was home to Molly's for 71 years until the business's closure in 2008. Since then it's been home to craft and novelty stores. 
 
There are rumors of several other ownership changes afoot, including a potential purchaser for the vacant TD Bank on Main Street that closed last year. 

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North Adams Council Votes Sanctuary for Transgender Community

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff

Mayor Jennifer Macksey gives Nash MacDonald a hug and a framed proclamation for Transgender Visibility Day at Tuesday's meeting.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The City Council passed a resolution on Tuesday declaring the North Adams a sanctuary for the LGBTQIA-plus community. 
 
The vote was 6-3 with Councilors Peter Oleskeiwicz, Wayne Wilkinson and Bryan Sapienza opposed. 
 
"The LGBTQIA plus community is under attack. It is being persecuted at the national level, not necessarily in North Adams," said Councilor Andrew Fitch, who had spearheaded the resolution. "This is an opportunity for us as city leaders to say that we support the community here."
 
More than a dozen residents — members and allies of the transgender community — spoke in favor of the resolution, and expressing the fear they've felt in the wake of attacks on the transgender community. Just this weekend, a bomb threat was called into an adult drag story hour in Pittsfield. Several in the packed audience spoke of how they'd left other areas of the country and found safety and support North Adams. 
 
"A statement can be powerful. It can ripple through a community," said Skyler Brooks. "We need to strengthen our community and protect the most vulnerable people from targeted attacks from this current administration.
 
"I believe that everyone is is owed life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, and that includes transgender people."
 
A woman said she and her family were "ex-pats" from Texas, and had specifically chosen to come to Massachusetts because they thought it would be safer for their daughters.
 
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