North Adams Takes Steps To Bring Heritage Park Back To Life

If you're a North Adams resident like me, we all agree that Western Gateway Heritage State Park needs restoration. The good news is that the historic museum on Furnace Street in North Adams, formerly a railroad yard, is slowly being transformed.

Leaking roofs and mold problems in 19th-century structures led to the closure of Heritage State Park in 2022. Since then, the site has mostly remained unused, aside from the Freight Yard Pub and the Berkshire Academy of Advanced Musical Studies.

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North Adams Seeks Architecture Firm After Funding Approval

Using grant funds, the city is seeking an architecture firm to develop a plan to rebuild the six structures. Many residents have lamented the closure, viewing it as the loss of a piece of the city's heritage.

In October 2025, the city received $250,000 from the Massachusetts Community One Stop for Growth program to hire an architecture firm to produce "architectural and engineering documents." This step is necessary to secure construction funding to repair the park's old buildings, according to a city press release.

Requests for qualifications were due Tuesday, according to Mayor Jennifer Macksey. She mentioned that the project has attracted significant interest, with approximately 20 firms submitting inquiries.

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Buildings Included and Not Included, Plus Details in the Design Project

Buildings 1, 2, and 3 encircle the Freight Yard Pub. Macksey referred to Building 5 as "the ugly yellow one with paint chipping." Meanwhile, Building 6 is home to the Berkshire Academy for Advanced Musical Studies.

Building 4 is excluded from the design project because it contains the Hoosac Tunnel museum, which the Department of Conservation and Recreation manages.

“Once we get the analysis, our hope is we can go [apply] to another One Stop and say, ‘Hey, this is what we'd like to do with these buildings and can you give [us] the construction money?' Again, this is just pre-design work. It’s going to tell us what we need to do in each building.”- Mayor Jennifer Macksey

Macksey mentioned that once the city selects a firm, there will be a more defined schedule for the project. Following the design stage, the park will also be allocated $50,000 to ready the site for redevelopment and public utilization.

Brief Western Gateway Heritage State Park History

The former freight storage yard, constructed in the late 1800s, was used by the Boston and Albany rail line following the opening of the Hoosac Tunnel, which contributed to an economic boom in North Adams.

In the mid-1980s, articles from the North Adams Transcript reported that the remaining buildings were preserved and repurposed as multi-use facilities within a state park. These included restaurants, businesses, and a museum that highlighted the hazardous construction of the 5-mile Hoosac Tunnel, which resulted in approximately 200 deaths. Additionally, the Mohawk Trail Association allocated $40,000 to promote the opening, as detailed in a 1985 article dated October 10.

14 Unique Museums in Massachusetts You May Not Know About

When you think of a museum, what do you think of? Maybe you imagine walls full of art or a giant T-rex skeleton at the entrance. But here in Massachusetts, we do museums a little different. While we do have your typical museums, we are also home to quite a few unique and sometimes a little off-the-wall museums that challenge the way we think about art, science, and what we hold dear. Take a look at 14 of the most unique – and treasured – museums in Massachusetts, and let us know which one you want to visit first!

Gallery Credit: Kari Jakobsen