"So we're not yet starting any construction but by activating the storefront with this installation, particularly something that happens at night, it's illuminated."
The installation will start at dusk and run for a couple hours into the evening everyday through the fall and winter.
"We're looking to contribute to the energy that's already underway downtown, increasing revitalization of buildings and storefronts," she said.
The south side of Main Street was a victim urban renewal in the 1960s while the north side maintained its historic buildings.
"So from 90, you have these exquisite views of the old buildings, historic buildings of downtown North Adams. Once you get to the roof of 90 Main, you have views of the steeples and the mountains. And, and it's really incredibly beautiful," Rothstein said.
"In addition to that, the building itself, the simplicity of the storefront facade, which we're activating, with this installation, juxtaposed with the curvilinear brick of the rear, is actually quite a nice piece of architecture."
Although they would have liked stop the loss of the older buildings that were turned into parking lots the building there now, "like Greylock Works [it] deserves a next life, it should be activated and contribute to the context," Rothstein said.
There had been a bank in that area of Main Street for more than a century. The site had been the former North Adams National Bank that was demolished in 1963 along with its marble lobby. The bank had earlier merged with what was then Hoosac Savings Bank across the street. The current 6,900-square-foot building was constructed by the former First Agricultural as its new offices.
While thinking about the future of this project, the couple looked at the old Sanborn fire insurance maps and found the history of the location interesting.
"The map from 1884, this site was a North Adams roller skating rink, and then by 1888, it was a central market. And so it's just inspiring to us that there has been a history of engagement with the site, prior to the bank being there, that we're deliberating what that means in terms of the future," Rothstein said.
"And it's part of the desire to transform the rear lot, the asphalt parking lot into something that is more welcoming and more of an urban oasis. The connection somehow to the history of the roller skating rink and the market and public activity happening on the site."
Similar to the work that they have done at Greylock Works, they started with some preliminary design work on how they are reconceiving the site to give it its next life.
Rothstein said it was not unlike the transformations they have accomplished so far at the mill in the context of a derelict structure and the industrial debris and other deposits that had been left on the site over decades.
First Friday is also featuring a variety of new opportunities earlier in the day for community members as part of its grass-root initiative to get folks downtown on the first Friday of each month.
The day starts off with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new Adventurer's Guild on Eagle at 11 a.m. with Mayor Jennifer Macksey.
Adventurer's Guild, located at 40 Eagle, has many popular card and board games including Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, and Magic: The Gathering, as well as miniatures and other gaming needs.
A number of businesses will be open late and a "community picnic" is planned on historic Eagle Street, which will be closed to traffic from 5 to 9 p.m. Local restaurants will be open for takeout or bring your own; Desperado's will be selling beer and wine. The event will include a scavenger hunt that will include a mixture of digital puzzles that runs through Oct. 2.
Participants will be given symbols to follow and solve the puzzles digitally. Those who complete the scavenger hunt puzzles will be entered into a raffle drawing for a winning prize. Information regarding the scavenger hunt will be available under the Mohawk Theater marquee.