NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — By the end of the Wednesday, Moderne Studios may be just a memory. 

 

The rear of the three-story brick building collapsed Tuesday night and officials have deemed it a public hazard that needed an emergency demolition. 

 

"We're very sad that the back of the Moderne Studio building has fallen down despite our efforts to work with the landlord," said Mayor Jennifer Macksey. "I think we're beyond that. Hopefully, by tomorrow morning, he will secure a demo company or we will."

 

The building at 19 Eagle St. was sold at auction in December 2022 for $100,000 to the Barry Group Real Estate after being empty for years. 

 

Some work had been done by a previous owner to support the structure and the new owners had been continuing that effort but their engineers and contractors apparently couldn't get ahead of the falling bricks. 

 

City officials had been concerned for months about the condition of the building, particularly the rear section that had dangerously deteriorated and its proximity to the former Desperados. 

 

The rear area was fenced off for safety reasons more than a month ago and the occupants in the apartment over Desperados were evacuated.

 

The mayor and Building Inspector William Meranti said the owner had acknowledged that the building had become a hazard. 

 

Fire Chief Brent Lefebvre said a neighbor had reported a large noise as the brick walls collapsed. Firefighters and police responded and National Grid and Berkshire Gas were called in to ensure power and gas was shut off from 19 Eagle and the former Desperados.

 

Eagle Street was closed for a time beginning around 8:30 and then briefly reopened before traffic was rerouted over North Church Street. A fire watch was being set up for the night to monitor the building. 

 

The scene was reminiscent of the rainy night back in 2016 when historic Eagle Street was closed off because of concerns over the structural integrity of the St. Francis' Church. That massive building took days to deconstruct but the demolition of Moderne Studio is expected to happen in hours. 

 

The origins of the building dates to the mid-1800s and it was extended by the Tower brothers to three stories in the 1870s with four two-bedroom apartments on the upper floors. It hosted a number of businesses but is best known as the location of Moderne Studios for nearly 40 years.

 

The photography business was established by Philip Carr and Samuel Scarfone in 1947; they moved to 19 Eagle in 1964.

 

The front windows displayed numerous wedding, engagement, high school graduation, yearbook and portrait pictures over the years. Scarfone, the sole owner by then, retired in 2002 at age 80. 

 

The loss of the building leaves another gap on the historic street as the building on its south side burned and had to be demolished in 2008. That vacant lot was more recently turned into a pocket park.