Reimagining a Gilded Age Home THINKING OUTSIDE OF THE BOX TO MEET OUR HOUSING NEEDS
B y L a u r a M a r s
GAVIN PREUSS
98 // BERKSHIRE MAGAZINE Holiday May / June 2023 2024
Iarrived at Cassilis Farm in New Marlborough on a snowy February afternoon , excited to explore the Gilded Age mansion that is to be transformed into affordable housing . What a worthy new life for this impressive estate ! First , though , the property will host a spectacular Designer Showcase — a fundraising event to show off the Berkshire ' s history , the building ’ s beauty , and the region ’ s talented interior designers . It will also raise awareness of the need for more housing , as well as raise money for its new owner , Construct , Inc ., the leading nonprofit provider of affordable housing in the southern Berkshires .
The Designer Showcase , themed “ Nature in the Berkshires ,” will be a timed , ticketed walk-through and will be open to visitors through five weekends in June . Additional events surrounding the fundraiser include a New Marlborough community day , as well as a special opening night tour and reception at Cassilis Farm . When the show is finished , the rooms will be dismantled , and Cassilis will begin its transformation into a place where 13 families will call home .
Laura Jordahl , Construct ’ s site manager for the Designer Showcase , led me into the Annex , where voices rang out from the top of the staircase . Valerie Winig of Wingate Designs was measuring windows for lace curtains and points to the walls where botanical wallpaper will hang . She is one of 15 area designers who are donating time and resources to reimagine spaces in the Main House , built in 1890 , and Annex , built in 1900 .
“ It ’ s such a beautiful home ,” says Winig , who is working on the staircase as well as the first and second floor hallway and a powder room . “ It ’ s unimaginable that everyone is putting in all this unbelievable gorgeousness and it will be ripped apart . It ’ s like a stage set . But it matters not . It ’ s for a good cause , and we want to participate in making it an exciting event .”
“ Support for the Showcase has been incredible , from the town of New Marlborough to designers and artists , community members , businesses , even Construct ’ s staff and volunteers are reenergized ,” says Jordahl , who came up with the idea with fellow board members Betty Farbman and Hinda Bodinger .
“ It will not only showcase the incredible design talent we have in the Berkshires ,” says Bodinger , the event ’ s co-chair , “ but also present a way to start a conversation about affordable housing with those who might not be aware of the issue . The fact is that nonprofits need to raise money , and we knew that having a Gilded Age mansion at our fingertips offered a unique opportunity , an opportunity made even more attractive by adding the talent of local designers working within a ‘ Nature in the Berkshires ’ theme .”
Visitors will enter the showcase from the Annex ’ s stone patio , stepping into a wood-paneled space that will be designed by Hammertown . ( The room has one of eight fireplaces found in Cassilis .) The kitchen will be Construct ’ s mission room . Danielle Sweet has space beyond the kitchen , Harry Heissmann and Tillett Textiles are collaborating on the upstairs nursery , and so on . Rooms are reserved for each designer ’ s interpretation of the theme through their unique artistry .
Jordahl explains that after the event , Construct will create three affordable housing duplexes in the Annex — moving walls and adding staircases and separate entrances . A screened-in patio at the back of the Annex offers views of the three-story Main House , which will become eight apartments , and renovation of two sepa-