Holiday Inn Parking Garage and Wahconah Park Grandstands Both Coming Down

If you've driven through downtown Pittsfield on Wednesday, you've seen it: the Holiday Inn's four-level parking garage is being torn down. I saw the demolition work myself today, with the structure already partially demolished.

The reaction from the people? "IT'S ABOUT TIME".

Meanwhile, Wahconah Park's historic grandstands were just approved for demolition this spring. Two of the city's most visible structures, both plagued by safety concerns, are finally coming down.

The garage is being razed

The Holiday Inn parking garage has been closed for years. The 325-space structure, part of what was once the Crowne Plaza Hotel, became a headache for guests who've been forced to use valet service or park at the nearby TD Bank lot. Online reviews are filled with complaints about the "falling down" garage and parking nightmare. The hotel's website now promises "a brand-new parking lot" to replace it, though no timeline has been announced.

We know the hotel itself has a complicated history. After the Crowne Plaza foreclosed in 2017, Brooklyn-based Berkshire Hospitality Group bought it for just $1.1 million at auction. They invested $2.5 to $3 million renovating the 14-floor building and converting it to a Holiday Inn & Suites by 2019. -berkshireeagle.com

But the parking garage was always the problem, repairs were estimated but never completed, and it's been deteriorating ever since. It looked as though they were throwing a fresh coat of white paint on there, but it remained half finished.

Over at Wahconah Park, the grandstands are meeting a similar fate. The Pittsfield Conservation Commission unanimously approved their demolition last week. The stands were declared unsafe in 2022, and the city estimates it'll cost around $875,000 to tear them down, including hazmat removal. Demolition is scheduled for early spring 2025.

The 1919 ballpark has been the home of the Pittsfield Suns, who haven't played there since 2023. The city has been working on a rebuild plan, originally budgeted at $28.4 million for a multipurpose venue, now scaled back with around $18 million secured through city and federal funding.

Both demolitions signal Pittsfield's push to replace aging, unsafe infrastructure with updated facilities, even if it means saying goodbye to loved and familiar landmarks. Didn't you love the parking garage?