Great Barrington — The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center held a soft opening of its Indigo Room on Friday, March 14, with a performance by blues musician Bobby Rush at the former firehouse at 20 Castle Street.
The firehouse was built in 1898 and for many years was home to both the town’s fire and police departments. The police department relocated to South Main Street in 1999, while the fire department relocated to a new building on State Road in 2010.
The building’s recent history has been fraught with troubles, and several plans for the former firehouse have fallen through over the years.
In May 2014, Castle Street LLC and principal owner Thomas Borshoff purchased the building from the town for $50,000. Borshoff planned to create a vocational education center, a culinary school, and a restaurant in the building. Borshoff’s plans eventually fell through.
In 2020, husband and wife Ross Cameron, owner of Warrior Trading in Great Barrington, and Lauren Cameron purchased the building. The company announced in March 2024 that it had nearly completed renovating the building. Warrior Trading announced that it would have its office on the building’s second floor and would lease out its first floor to the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center. The arts center’s main building is located near the firehouse at 14 Castle Street.
In Warrior Trading’s press release announcing that it would lease out the first floor to Mahaiwe, the company stated that the building went through a “multi-million-dollar” refurbishment. Renovations included a new roof, windows, brick repointing, steel girder stabilization, environmental remediation, and renovations for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance.
Over the past year, the arts center has renovated the first-floor space into its Indigo Room, a small-stage performing arts venue.
The soft opening of the Indigo Room on March 14, featuring a performance by Rush, came one year after Warrior Trading announced it would be leasing the space to the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center. During his two-hour performance, Rush, who is 91 years old, captivated the audience with his blues songs, stories about blues legends, and even some stand-up comedy.
Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center Executive Director Janis Martinson told The Berkshire Edge that the Indigo Room will be a major boost for the town’s performing arts scene. “With our main building and now our Indigo Room, there’s going to be a lot going on in the Castle Street area,” Martinson said. “The Mahaiwe will be able to do a lot more community and educational programming out of the Indigo Room space. We’re working collaboratively with more nonprofit partners than we already do. There will also be a diversity of programming with a lower price point that will be exciting for audiences.”
Martinson said the Mahaiwe has already booked future shows for the Indigo Room, but that lineup is yet to be released.
“We chose the name ‘Indigo Room’ because we were trying to find ways to tie the new space in with the current Mahaiwe Theater, even if it is subliminal,” Martinson said. “We looked at the color on our iconic marquee at the theater, which is indigo blue, which is why we went with ‘Indigo Room.’ We didn’t want a name that sounded secondary to our main stage because we think what happens next door to the main theater is vital.”
Martinson said the Mahaiwe will eventually offer programming at both locations simultaneously. “I think this will bring to Great Barrington more audiences and more attention to the performing arts community,” Martinson said. “This will also increase Great Barrington’s reputation as a place where artists want to perform.”
For more information about future performances at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center and the Indigo Room, visit the Mahaiwe’s website.
