Pittsfield Board Seeks Delay For Convent DemolitionBy Joe Durwin, iBerkshires Staff
01:33PM / Tuesday, January 26, 2016 | |
 The former St. Joe's convent has been vacant for nearly 20 years. The parish is hoping to demolish the 1897 structure. |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city's Historical Commission voted unanimously on Monday to recommend a six-month delay to be placed on a proposal to demolish the former St. Joseph's convent at 350 North St.
"The reason for the demolition delay is so that we can allow the public a chance to weigh in on structures of historical significance when they're up for demolition," summarized Commissioner Kathleen Reilly.
Under the city's 2007 Demolition Delay Ordinance, buildings older than 75 years for which demolition is sought are to be assessed by the commission for whether they fit any of three given criteria that could trigger a recommendation for delay: if the building is on or eligible for the National Register; if it is associated with key individuals, events or institutions in local history; or if the structure is important for architectural reasons.
"From my point of view, all three criteria would come into play with this building," said Reilly."I think [calling for a delay] is our responsibility in this instance."
Research by Reilly, who runs the local history branch of the Berkshire Athenaeum, discovered the identity of the architect, which had been absent from the Form B historic inventory report supplied by the applicant. The 1897 Victorian Gothic was designed by James Murphy of Providence, R.I., a prominent architect known especially for his designs for Catholic churches, of which he is responsible for at least 50 in New England.
Other notable buildings designed by Murphy in Berkshire County include St. Thomas Aquinas in Adams, Notre Dame du Sacre Coeur in North Adams, St. Peter's in Great Barrington, the Chamberry Inn in Lee, and Williamstown's original St. Patrick's, which was demolished.
"The other purpose of the delay is to put it back on the applicant to see if there might be other options for the property," added John Dickson.
In this case, hope for such options may be slim, according to representatives from St. Joe's, who say that cost estimates for past proposals to reuse the structure have been too prohibitive to move forward because of the current requirements in building codes. Another factor prohibitive to redevelopment is the church's stated resistance to subdividing the parcel and allowing a private developer to purchase it for reuse because of its close proximity to the church and parish center.
"The site tour confirmed that the building needs a lot of work, but also that the building seems structurally very sound, and it also has a lot of worthwhile elements of a historic nature," said Dickson.
Built on the site of what had previously held the skating rink within the old Pittsfield Coliseum, the four-story Victorian edifice was completed in 1897 and first in use as St. Joseph's Academy, which became the Academy of Our Lady of the Elms, but by the turn of the century this was relocated to land newly acquired in Chicopee by the Springfield Diocese.
As a convent for St. Joseph's, the 69,696 square foot building housed up to 30 residents at its peak, but had dropped to only four by the time of its closing in 1981. Today, the Sisters of St. Joseph number less than 300 nuns statewide, and no longer have any active convents.
After that the building was for a time in use by Hillcrest Educational Center, and was last occupied by the Sisters of the Visitation in the mid-90s.
The commission voted unanimously to recommend a six-month delay, a recommendation that will go on to the Community Development Board, which will decide whether or not to invoke the demolition delay.
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