Fwd: In Massachusetts, Hints of a Town, Now Revitalized - Slide Show - NYTimes.com

In Massachusetts, Hints of a Town, Now Revitalized

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FOUNDED 250 years ago, Pittsfield, Mass., is a model of old Americana: a mixture of handsome 19th-century buildings and stately early-20th-century homes, with the Berkshire Mountains just a stone's throw away. By the middle of the last century, it was a bustling urban town center with a steady stream of work provided by General Electric. But by the 1970s, the city had fallen on hard times, after G.E. moved operations south and left PCBs in the Housatonic River. It seemed that Pittsfield had been passed over by the golden touch that had brought wealth and tourists to surrounding Berkshire towns. But in the last few years Pittsfield has begun to reawaken. The bones of those old buildings are still as beautiful as they were midcentury. And there are now galleries, boutiques and restaurants opening up where "For Rent" signs long dominated.

By SARAH WILDMAN

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