Housatonic — Nonprofit organization Berkshire Pulse, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, has purchased a building at 410 Park Street to eventually be used for its programs.
According to its website, the Berkshire Pulse’s mission is to “build and strengthen community life through diverse and accessible programming in performing, movement, and creative arts.” The organization offers multiple programs, classes, and workshops, including a youth performing arts program, a young choreographers program, school programs, and artist residencies.
Since 2014, the organization has operated out of a space it rents in the Rubin Mill at 420 Park Street. On December 20, however, the organization purchased the 410 Park Street building, which was built in the early 1900s according to the town’s property database.
According to an organization representative, the purchase of the building, at $3.97 million, was made possible through various donations. “The reason the organization has purchased the building is because, in 2023, it became clear to the leadership of our organization that we have vastly outgrown our current space,” Berkshire Pulse Executive Director Abigail Rollins told The Berkshire Edge. “Currently, we are on the third floor of Rubin Mill. We have three dance studios, one small administrative office, a tiny lounge, and a couple of dressing rooms.”
Rollins said that the organization has seen an uptick in program participants coming out of the pandemic. “Frankly, it’s just pushed us beyond the capacity of our current space,” Rollins said. “We do have three beautiful studios in our current space, but more and more, Berkshire Pulse is turning into a community space.”
In 2024, the organization served 610 adult students and 270 youth students. “We’re seeing more families arrive and spend time here in this space while they are waiting for their children, both before and after class,” Rollins said. “Berkshire Pulse has become sort of a space where people want to gather and spend time with one another. Right now in our current space, we don’t have that capability. In addition, there are many more classes and programs we would like to have.”
The organization currently occupies 6,500 square feet of space on one floor of the Rubin Mill building. The 410 Park Street building will allow them to expand considerably, with its three-story, 13,350-square-foot layout. “Our programs have grown beyond our physical space capacity in the Rubin Mill building,” said organization founder and Artistic Director Bettina Montano. “Since our programming has continued to grow, our staff has grown exponentially. We now have seven full-time staff members, which is more than we had coming out of the pandemic. Our staff has continued to grow, and we currently don’t even have enough offices or workspaces.”
Both Rollins and Montano said that, while the 410 Park Street building itself is in excellent condition, consultants will be collaborating with the organization to formulate a renovation project over the next few months. “There really isn’t that much that needs to be fixed in the building,” Rollins said. “The renovation project is more about building it out to be the space that we need it to be. Right now, thankfully, the building has raw, open space. This is a great thing because it’s wonderful to have sort of a more or less blank canvas to start from. But, for example, we still need to install an elevator, and we need to create better guest parking outside of the building.”
“The building is in beautiful and excellent condition,” Montano added. “I have to point out that the previous owners really loved that building, and they really did take care of it.”
The organization will announce a timeline for the project, along with a capital campaign, at some point this year. “However, I would like people to know that we’re not just an on-site organization,” Montano said. “We reach far into the community. We’ve had many in-school programs for many years now, and our reach into the tri-state community is greater just because of the programs that we’ve organized in schools, and also through partnering with organizations throughout our region.”
Berkshire Pulse serves students and artists from Berkshire County; Columbia County, N.Y.; and Litchfield County, Conn.
Visit Berkshire Pulse’s website for more information on the organization or its programs.
