"Gilded Age estates are the Berkshires. They are the distinguishing characteristic of our region, like the great country homes of England."
-- Laurie Norton Moffatt, Director and CEO of the Norman Rockwell Museum
"Restoring Elm Court in this way is like embalming a corpse. It's a trade off, more than a fair trade."
-- Gregory Whitehead, speaking for the Old Stockbridge Road Neighborhood Association
The return of the Gilded Age: Right now the 80-acre Southmayd estate on the river in Stockbridge is for sale for $11.5 million. If a developer purchased the former cottage, and proposed a high density development, after approving Elm Court, on what basis could the Select Board turn down development of the precious Stockbridge Ox Bow?
'We are not against Elm Court. We encourage smart growth, but this is the commercialization of a rural neighborhood.'
--Old Stockbridge Road resident Barney Edmonds
'Elm Court…has become famous…as an example of what the progressive modern spirit, backed up by abundant capital, can accomplish.'
-- Berkshire Resort Topics, 1904
"Stockbridge is a model, small New England town, and we’ve maintained its character for 250 years. The intent of bylaws is to save these properties, but we don't want to be creating a Club Med North.”
-- Stockbridge Planning Board member Eugene Talbot
