Great Barrington — The month of February has been considerably milder this year than it was when the above photograph was taken in the 1950s. The City Store Block on the southern corner of Main and Railroad Streets dates back to 1853, making it the oldest surviving downtown commercial structure. This building narrowly escaped destruction in 1896 when a devastating fire wiped out both sides of Railroad Street.
From the 1930s through the 1970s, the street-level store was known as the Ann Louise shop, a popular clothing boutique owned by the Ralph Zenowitz family. Other stores shown above include Cooper’s Hardware, Farshaw & Co. paper goods, Ogden-Bates clothing, Community Credit Corporation, and First Agricultural Bank. After the Ann Louise shop closed, Yellow Balloon Gift Shop followed for several years. T.P. Saddleblanket clothing and accessories store has been the popular first-floor tenant for the past 33 years as shown below.
