The sidewalk on the south side of Union Street has been closed off after more bricks fell from the walls of the Hoosic Mill. An attempt was made to preserve at least a few of the distinctive sawtooth edges.
This drone image taken by Nick Mantello in 2017 shows how the interior of the mill is gone. A concrete pad was poured along the north side and steel struts put in place to stabilize the wall.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The sidewalk is once again closed on the south side of Union Street along the historic Hoosac Mill because of falling bricks.
The century-old mill had a catastrophic roof collapse more than a decade ago, caused by excessive snow load, and the interior had to be gutted and the walls fortified.
The nearly 200 yards of sidewalk was closed off for months and years at a time after the collapse and again several years ago as owner Ariel Sutain worked with an engineering firm to try to save some elements of the distinctive sawtooth roof.
The "serrated" roof configuration was made to allow for east-facing windows that brought light into the 265,000 square-foot textile mill. Those windows were covered over years ago.
Building Inspector William Meranti said this week that some more bricks had fallen. He said Sutain had called in the engineering firm to see if the wall could be saved — or the structure taken down.
There's no roof and nothing left inside the bulk of the mill; a few structures on the east and west ends are of the nearly 6 acre property are still standing and usable. There's only four sawtooth elements left on the north side along Union Street and the walls are being support by steel braces and concrete.
The mill was built in 1906 as part of the sprawling textile empire of Arnold Print Works and then purchased by the Hoosac Cotton Co. in 1911. It was later occupied by the former Hunter Outdoor Products and was a mushroom factory, Delftree.
Sutain bought the building in 2007 and had been upgrading and repairing it, including replacing windows and repointing the brickwork. One section became a gallery and another hosted artists for the North Adams Open Studios. The rest was rented out for storage.
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Colegrove Park Recognized as Top 10 School Statewide in Attendance
By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
Superintendent Barbara Malkas, left, Colegrove Principal Amy Meehan, Mayor Jennifer Macksey and Dean of Students Jonathan Slocum pose with the Celtics basketball award on Friday.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Boston Celtics gave gold to Colegrove Park Elementary School on Friday for scoring in the top 10 schools for attendance statewide. The school saw its chronic absenteeism numbers drop by 11 percent last year.
Tim Connor, assistant director for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's west and central district, arrived with a gold basketball signed by the champion team to reward the students for their achievement.
"An award like this doesn't come easy. It takes a lot of work from all of you, the students, the parents, and especially Ms. Meehan and her wonderful staff, so a big round of applause," said Mayor Jennifer Macksey, after leading the assembly in the gym to chants of "Colegrove rocks!" "I am so proud of this school and the community that all of you have built. So everyone should be really excited about today, and this is an excellent way to start your school."
Superintendent Barbara Malkas asked last year's fifth-graders at Colegrove to join her at the front of the gym for a special applause.
"When we track attendance of all the students in the whole district, these students have the highest attendance rate, the lowest chronic absenteeism rate in the entire district," Malkas said. "While all Colegrove students have been recognized as attendance all-stars, these students led the way in being attendance all-stars, so let's give them one more round of applause."
Colegrove switched this year to house Grades 3 to 6, so some of the younger students who helped earn the award are now at Brayton Elementary. However, all three elementary schools open last year saw improvement in attendance.
Schools statewide have been working to reduce chronic absenteeism — the percentage of students missing 10 percent of the school year, or 18 days — which peaked during the pandemic.
Last week, the nonprofit held a ceremonial groundbreaking for a 900-square-foot wooden structure with a full foundation and a composting toilet. The excavation process began this week, and completion is expected in 2026.
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The Boston Celtics gave gold to Colegrove Park Elementary School on Friday for scoring in the top 10 schools for attendance statewide. The school saw its chronic absenteeism numbers drop by 11 percent last year. click for more