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Overview of William Stanley Business Park of the Berkshires A Renaissance in the Making Pittsfield has formed the Pittsfield Economic Development Authority (PEDA) and charged it with planning and implementing redevelopment of a portion of the total GE site to be remediated and turned over to the city. The focus of PEDA’s redevelopment efforts is a 52-acre parcel. This is regarded as an unparalleled, economic opportunity for the City of Pittsfield and the surrounding region. PEDA envisions the site as a commercial and industrial complement to the retail, office and service sectors that are concentrated in the downtown. Pittsfield is a city of 45,000 residents and it lies 45 miles west of Albany, 80 miles from Hartford, 135 miles from Boston and 150 miles from New York City. Well-known as a summer residence for many noteworthy Americans, including Oliver Wendell Holmes and Herman Melville, Pittsfield also has a proud history of industrial manufacturing, beginning with textile mills, Crane & Co. paper manufacturing, and more recently, electronics and plastics with the GE Corporation. More recently, the economy of Pittsfield and Berkshire County has made the transition from manufacturing to a service-oriented economy that features tourism. Despite overall downsizing in manufacturing, a vibrant industrial base of small and expanding businesses still remains. The City of Pittsfield is in a beautiful setting where residents enjoy a great quality of life. Many residents are dedicated to the arts and culture of this region and want Pittsfield to be a tourist destination and not a place that tourists simply pass through. With a campus-like, unified look, jogging and biking paths and attractive tree-lined streets, and an existing rail at the site, the redevelopment of the 52-acre parcel would make be an asset for manufacturing, and should attract jobs that pay a living wage and benefits. The History of the Site  Nestled in the heart of picturesque Berkshire County, located in Western Massachusetts, lies the City of Pittsfield. Once thought of as the economic hub of the Berkshires, Pittsfield’s monetary state strongly affected the entire surrounding region. For the better part of the 20th century, Pittsfield was inextricably linked to General Electric (GE), which at one point provided jobs and security for 75 percent of Pittsfield’s workforce. In 1890, William Stanley, Jr., a native of Berkshire County, established the Stanley Electric Manufacturing Company on what would later be known as the GE site. It wasn’t until 1903 that GE, then a young company, purchased the controlling interest in Stanley Electric and began production of small-scale transformers, flat irons, electric fans and small motors. During the Great Depression, GE found success in producing large-scale, high-voltage transformers that eventually powered huge public works projects, such as the Hoover Dam. By the 1950s, GE was building the largest transformers in the world and in 1968, Building 100, which now houses the GE Plastics Division, was built to handle the construction of transformers. GE was producing transformers for power companies and other clients all over the world. It was during this time that Pittsfield saw its greatest economic success in the hands of General Electric.  However, GE’s success was soon compromised in the 1970s. The market for large transformers began to decline due to the oil shortages and American industry’s endeavor to limit power consumption. As a result, GE’s transformer operation began a slow decline that ended with its closure in 1986. PEDA and the City of Pittsfield’s elected officials have outlined a strategic master plan for remediation, clean up and economic stimulation of GE’s former 52-acre parcel. A comprehensive site plan as well as site specific and/or regional workforce demographic data can be obtained by contacting: |
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