Pittsfield Historical Panels OKs Fenn St. Demo, Welcomes City Planner
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Historical Commission welcomed the new city planner and approved the demolition of a Fenn Street home formerly owned by a well-loved volunteer.
Haddad dealerships purchased the property from Robert Presutti's family after he died in 2023 and plans to demolish it for further parking and vehicle storage.
"The idea is to renovate the Haddad Hyundai dealership building at 689 East St. and as part of that renovation, they're proposing the demolition of a two-story house that is sort of situated on a small lot that they own between two others used for the dealerships," civil engineer Bryan Siter explained.
"So this would allow them essentially to use the entire three parcels as car storage essentially for the building."
Presutti purchased the home in 1975. He was a certified arborist with the Pittsfield Tree Watch and Springside Park Conservancy and was honored by the city in 2022 for donating an all-time high of more than 10,000 volunteer hours with the Retired Senior Volunteer Program.
Earlier this year, the city celebrated Arbor Day by installing a commemorative plaque honoring Presutti in front of the Berkshire Athenaeum.
"It does have a long history, it started as a grocery store with the owner living above it and then by, looks like 1920, it was more of a rental property up until it was purchased by Mr. Presutti who volunteered for the Pittsfield parks for many years and he was the owner and he just recently passed away and it was sold to [George Haddad]," Siter said.
"It's in disrepair. It's not very useful to the dealership, of course, in its current state. It's sort of falling apart and needs quite a bit of work, so the idea is to demolish this building and then continue the gravel parking lot all the way across between the two properties."
The property is within the buffer zone of Silver Lake so the application went through Conservation Commission and Community Development Board permitting.
A narrative by Home Historian Joe Durwin details its history dating back to the early 1900s. It was built in 1909 (assessed in 1922) with a grocery store on the ground floor, originally owned by Italian immigrant Joseph Ciaburri.
Ciaburri arrived in the United States in 1885 and his first documented job was selling produce on West Street in 1902, moving to 609 Fenn St. in 1906, Durwin reported, and 611 Fenn St. first appeared in city directories as a grocery store in 1910.
"Joseph and his wife Theresa move into the upstairs of the grocery with their three daughters and rent out 609 Fenn. The family help operate the shop, as Joseph works a day job at General Electric," the historical report reads.
"A 1911 notice in the Berkshire Eagle says Ciaburri had just opened "a macaroni manufacturing establishment at his home at 611 Fenn Street. The work is all done by electricity and the machine operated by a New York man who thoroughly understands the trade." By 1920, Ciaburri had shifted more into real estate as a side business, and the lower level of the house is rented. In 1929-1930, the Ciaburri family moves next door to 619-621 Fenn, keeping 611 as a rental property, and still retaining 609 Fenn."
The commission also welcomed City Planner Kevin Rayner.
"I'm a lifelong Pittsfield resident," he said. "I was born here and raised here so it's an honor to serve my community."
Rayner formerly worked as a town planner for Adams and explained that he has experience with the municipal board process, working with entities such as the town's planning and zoning boards and conservation commission.
"I have experience with municipal boards and I look forward to working with all of you going forward in the future," he said.
Tags: demolition, historical commission,
