The three-story house was not built with the intention of serving as a bed and breakfast. The building was constructed in 1882 in the Gilded Age and was called Wynnstay, according to the Rosens.

The only evidence of the history of the building after its construction is a postcard from the 1920s calling the inn Hampton Terrace. A little brochure from the 1940s advertising the inn describes the "new Tanglewood."

Both papers show the front of the inn with a second-story balustrade above the front entrance, complete with overhanging flowers, though the balustrade does not exist now.

"That's something that's really important to us. We want to replace that right away, right down to the planters," Stan Rosen said. He and his wife, who dreamed about running their own inn for years, hope to keep the decor of the inn true to the time period in which it was built, right down to pulling up modern carpeting to reveal hardwood floors. Susan Rosen has refinished and artistically painted furniture for years, and plans to add her own touches throughout the house.

As for breakfast, Susan's nephew Jonah Baker, a new chef at Bistro Zinc on Church Street, will serve guests an "enhanced continental breakfast." The inn is already booked for nearly all weekends this summer.

The Rosens bought the inn from Don O'Brien, who raised his six children and ran a bed and breakfast there with his wife for 31 years.

"They said we reminded them of themselves when they were starting out," Susan Rosen said. The Rosens have been married for 20 years and have four children: teen-agers Lauren and Courtney, and 6-year-old twins Tristan and Colin. They also have a dog named Pigeon.

"We wanted a place where we could raise our family. This looked like a family home," Susan said. The Rosens purchased the 6,000-square-foot house for $500,000, and invested another $200,000 for renovations through a loan from Berkshire Bank.

They have already received the necessary town permits to renovate the existing Carriage House to create six additional guest rooms which they hope to complete by next summer, bringing the total to 12 rooms. "This wasn't a big stretch for me," Stan Rosen said. "We love the Berkshires and the cultural attractions here, and now we have a place where we can share that with other people."

© 1998 by MediaNews Group, Inc. and Pittsfield Publications, Inc.

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