A Home and Place of Work…

The grand residence at 165 E. Main street was built in 1853, originally clapboard and bricked over at a later date. The building has gone through many renditions over the centuries, from elegant residence to a place to do business, most often some combination of the two. North Adams locals still remember its time as Pringle’s funeral home. Most recently it was home to Dr. Eugene Messenger who ran his dental practice on the first floor and raised his family upstairs. Since buying the home, Carolyn & Ben have been converting the dental office space to artist studios.

Walking through the doors for the first time, Carolyn & Ben felt a homey sense of belonging about the place. Carolyn’s parents are dentists in Northampton, MA . Growing up, her dad Jim Clayton ran his practice out of their basement. Ben grew up in Crown Point, NY with historians for parents. His dad was the former director of Fort Ticonderoga and their family landed in a similarly grand (and similarly difficult to heat) historic home upstate.