Old Automotive Garage Gets New Life as Elegant Art Gallery

As it appeared in The Berkshire Edge

“We did work to make it more user-friendly and make it into an attractive place,” Gallerie 271 owner Dave Hattem said about the space on Main Road that was a former garage. “I wanted to turn it into an art gallery because there is a charm to the building. This building was once a little eyesore, and now it’s something attractive.

By Shaw Israel Izikson

Monterey — The proverb “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” may apply to the property at 271 Main Road. Since it was built in 1965, the property operated as an automotive garage, most recently as John’s Auto Repair. After extensive hard work and renovation, however, Dave Hattem has turned the building into Gallerie 271, an art gallery.

Hattem, who purchased the building in November 2021, is a native of Manhattan, N.Y., but he has owned a second home in Great Barrington for over 20 years. “The property was broken down,” Hattem told The Berkshire Edge. “Cars and trucks were sitting down out front. It was originally in the Andrus family for many years. It was an interesting space, but it needed a lot of work.”

Hattem said that the family was originally going to sell the property to Fiber Connect of Egremont, who planned to tear down the existing building and build a new one. “But all the neighbors freaked out because they didn’t want a big building on this property,” Hattem said.

Hattem said he has completed several renovation projects through the years, including a brownstone project in the 1980s. “But renovating this building was a whole other level,” Hattem said. “It was rough and sobering, to say the least. It was a soup-to-nuts renovation. I started the project by scrubbing the walls and getting rid of 40 years worth of grime. I thought that was kind of above my pay grade.”

Hattem said that he thought “it would take 30 years to get the building together” by himself and eventually hired several people who were “fearless” when it came to renovating the building. “We did work to make it more user-friendly and make it into an attractive place,” Hattem said. “I wanted to turn it into an art gallery because there is a charm to the building. This building was once a little eyesore, and now it’s something attractive. While we were working on the renovation, we had people from the community constantly stop by and go, ‘What’s going on? What are you doing here?’ And that was fun because I got to meet a lot of my neighbors that way. It was a good way to connect to the community.”

Hattem said that the former garage space allows for a viewing area that “…invite[s] art, community, and the beauty of nature for a delightful exhibition experience.”

The gallery opened in July 2022 with a “test run,” as Hattem described it, featuring an exhibit by Great Barrington artist Steve Dietemann.

On Friday, June 30, the gallery will officially open for its summer season with a two-day exhibition by New York City artist Adi Oren.

The gallery will reopen again on July 28 for a return exhibition of Dietemann’s work, which will last until August 25.

When asked if he seeks out artists for exhibits or if artists seek him out for exhibition space, Hattem said “…it’s a little bit of both.” He explained, “There are a lot of artists out there who are looking for gallery space and a more relaxed relationship with gallery owners than some of the traditional galleries out there. It has been a combination of referrals and recommendations from the people I speak to. I’m a lawyer by training, so for me, it’s nice and fun to meet creative people and connect with them. I enjoy working with them to do something fun and beautiful.”

For more information about Gallerie 271, go to its website.