Allegrone In the News: Restoration of Original Berkshire County Courthouse

Original Building

Existing Building

Proposed Design

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LENOX -- From the outside, the rather nondescript commercial building at 27 Housatonic St. looks like it has seen better days.

It's one of the town's historically significant sites, built in 1791 on Main Street to house the Berkshire County Courthouse after Lenox became a shire town and the new county seat, formerly in Sheffield and Great Barrington.

In 1815, as the much larger Greek Revival courthouse was completed (home to the Lenox Library starting in 1876), the old site became the Town House, used as the post office and for local government.

In 1903, the building was removed from its foundation and moved by horse and wagon to its present location following the opening of the new Town Hall next door.

Now among the three oldest buildings still standing in the historic downtown village, it is owned by real estate entrepreneur Steve Oakes, who's embarking on a major rehabilitation project this fall to shore it up, saving it from further sagging of the facade, while giving it a look more in keeping with its deep roots in the town's early history.

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Check out the full article by the Berkshire Eagle here: http://www.berkshireeagle.com

Open a PDF of the article here: 27 Housatonic Article