Stockbridge Bowl
Encyclopedia
Stockbridge Bowl is a 372 acres (1.5 km²) artificially impounded body of water that is 4 km (2.5 mi) north of the village of Stockbridge, Massachusetts
. A variant name is Lake Mahkeenac.
The lake is 1 ¾ miles long, about ¾ miles wide, and its shoreline totals six miles (10 km), two miles (3 km) of which are owned by the Town of Stockbridge. Stockbridge Bowl is drained by Larrywaug Brook, which is tributary to the Housatonic River
.
The shoreline is also the site of more than 450 private cottages. One property on the lake is connected with Seranak Cottage, a 34-room house owned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra
. This was formerly a summer home of Serge Koussevitzky
, a director of the Boston Symphony, and founder of the nearby Tanglewood Music Center
. The name Ser-a-na-k stands for Serge and Natasha, who was Koussevitzky’s first wife.
The lake suffers from eutrophication
due to excess nutrients blamed on runoff from development and septic systems in the immediate area.
The 340 feet (103.6 m)-long earthen Stockbridge Bowl Dam was completed in 1880. It is owned by the Town Of Stockbridge.
A 2008 inspection found the dam in "satisfactory" condition.
Stockbridge, Massachusetts
Stockbridge is a town in Berkshire County in Western Massachusetts. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,947 at the 2010 census...
. A variant name is Lake Mahkeenac.
The lake is 1 ¾ miles long, about ¾ miles wide, and its shoreline totals six miles (10 km), two miles (3 km) of which are owned by the Town of Stockbridge. Stockbridge Bowl is drained by Larrywaug Brook, which is tributary to the Housatonic River
Housatonic River
The Housatonic River is a river, approximately long, in western Massachusetts and western Connecticut in the United States. It flows south to southeast, and drains about of southwestern New England into Long Island Sound...
.
The shoreline is also the site of more than 450 private cottages. One property on the lake is connected with Seranak Cottage, a 34-room house owned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra
Boston Symphony Orchestra
The Boston Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1881, the BSO plays most of its concerts at Boston's Symphony Hall and in the summer performs at the Tanglewood Music Center...
. This was formerly a summer home of Serge Koussevitzky
Serge Koussevitzky
Serge Koussevitzky , was a Russian-born Jewish conductor, composer and double-bassist, known for his long tenure as music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 1924 to 1949.-Early career:...
, a director of the Boston Symphony, and founder of the nearby Tanglewood Music Center
Tanglewood Music Center
The Tanglewood Music Center is an annual summer music academy in Lenox, Massachusetts, United States, in which emerging professional musicians participate in performances, master classes and workshops designed to provide an intense training and networking experience...
. The name Ser-a-na-k stands for Serge and Natasha, who was Koussevitzky’s first wife.
The lake suffers from eutrophication
Eutrophication
Eutrophication or more precisely hypertrophication, is the movement of a body of water′s trophic status in the direction of increasing plant biomass, by the addition of artificial or natural substances, such as nitrates and phosphates, through fertilizers or sewage, to an aquatic system...
due to excess nutrients blamed on runoff from development and septic systems in the immediate area.
The 340 feet (103.6 m)-long earthen Stockbridge Bowl Dam was completed in 1880. It is owned by the Town Of Stockbridge.
A 2008 inspection found the dam in "satisfactory" condition.