Staggering proportions are on offer at this Massachusetts retreat—a Gothic church in Berkshire County’s hinterland that’s been turned into a unique holiday stay and wedding venue.
Regalis Foods founder Ian Purkayastha and visual artist Jane Lowe discovered the Old Stone Church in Lanesborough while driving along Route 7 and fell in love with the Gothic Revival building, which sits in the foothills of Mt Greylock. The church was originally constructed in 1836 as the summer chapel for St Luke’s Episcopal Parish. However, it had been vacant for over a century when the couple bought it in May 2021 due to its lack of plumbing, water, septic systems, heating, electricity, and insulation.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, at which point the building underwent a major renovation that saved it from deteriorating further. Still, it needed major work when the couple converted it into a home and event space.
Photography: Jane Lowe / Hinterland Hall
Photography: Jane Lowe / Hinterland Hall
Photography: Jane Lowe / Hinterland Hall
Photography: Jane Lowe / Hinterland Hall
Photography: Jane Lowe / Hinterland Hall
Photography: Jane Lowe / Hinterland Hall
Strict restrictions on the building’s interior and exterior meant that every renovation the pair undertook had to be approved by the Massachusetts Historical Commission – a process that took around two years to complete and required a team of specialised craftspeople.
‘It was essential to our creative process that we stay true to the building’s innate symmetry and retain as many of its original elements as possible, desiring to create a seamless bridge between the old and the new,’ says Lowe.
The church sanctuary has been turned into a staggering open-plan living room, with pews removed to make space for sofas and armchairs and pine wood floors sanded and refinished. Nine 20-ft-high tracery windows flood the space with natural light, including two ornate stained-glass windows dating from 1851.
Above, the old choir loft has been turned into a sleeping area beneath the vaulted timber roof, with Gothic lancet windows offering views of the landscape beyond.
‘The experience of sleeping in the historic church and having uninterrupted time to just wander the space is both rejuvenating and spiritual,’ owner Jane Lowe told Welcome Beyond, which is listing the historic home for short-term lets starting at $455 per night. ‘The design and the quality of light are powerful enough to soothe and invigorate at the same time.’
Now known as Hinterland Hall, the magical retreat is open for overnight guests and a venue for small weddings, rehearsal dinners, intimate events and even live musical performances.
The latter is inspired by the building’s musical past. St Luke’s boasts an 1862 hand-pumped mechanical organ by William Johnson of Westfield– one of the last of its kind in the USA.
In 2021, the organ was restored and relocated from the choir loft to the downstairs sanctuary near the old altar, where it can now be played by guests and performers visiting Hinterland Hall. In its former place is a concrete soaking tub surrounded by local bluestone – an idyllic spot from which to appreciate the scale and beauty of the building.
