You can sleep in this 1862 church in the Berkshires. The speakeasy is up in the loft.
An 1862 church in the southern Berkshires spent four years becoming a ten-guest rental with its stained glass, pulpit and altar intact, plus a speakeasy bar in the loft — 5.0 from 52 reviews, from $1,540 a night.
At the edge of Mill River, a village in the southern Berkshires, the building still looks like what it was built as in 1862: dark clapboard, arched windows, a shingled spire under a cross. Then you open the white double doors. 1
Four years of work turned the sanctuary into a 4,000-square-foot house that sleeps ten. The stained glass stayed. So did the pulpit, the altar niche and the grand piano, now sharing the room with a long farm table. 2
The odd part is upstairs. The loft holds a speakeasy-style bar, a pool table, shuffleboard, darts and backgammon. 1 Airbnb filed the place under "witching hour" and put it among 26 American stays in its 2026 Halloween roundup. 2
The stay at a glance
| Detail | What to know |
|---|---|
| Stay | Berkshires Black Abbey: an 1862 church converted over four years into a 4,000-square-foot home, with a games loft and a speakeasy bar. 3 |
| Location | Mill River, a village in New Marlborough in the southern Berkshires; Airbnb lists it under Great Barrington. 2 |
| Capacity | Ten guests, three bedrooms, four beds, three baths: a king, a queen with en suite, a full bunk with en suite, and a pull-out couch in the loft. 3 |
| Guest signal | 5.0 out of 5 from 52 reviews, a Guest Favorite, and top 10% of eligible listings; all 52 reviews are five stars. 3 |
| Price | From $1,540 a night, the figure Architectural Digest published on 18 August 2026; Airbnb quotes your own dates. 4 |
| Book it | Open the Airbnb listing |
What the building actually is
Two people did the renovation: Anthony, who runs a recording studio in Brooklyn, and co-host Hanna. Anthony describes himself on the listing as a VW bus nerd who drives up every other week to keep improving the place. 1
The church reads as a church for a moment, then resolves into a house. Original stained glass throws color across white walls, and the light switches are vintage push buttons beside handcrafted brass fixtures. 1
The loft is where the building gets strange. A small bar with two stools sits in one corner under a pressed-tin ceiling, and the game tables fill the rest of the room. 1
Sleeping arrangements run from a king bedroom to a full-size bunk room, and both the queen and bunk rooms have their own bathrooms. Bathroom floors are heated, the showers are rainfall, and the HVAC system is new. 1
Outside there is a deck with a propane grill, and a four-person cedar barrel sauna sits against the church wall. 1
Mill River grew up as a mill village on the Konkapot River, and its centre is listed on the National Register as the Mill River Historic District. 2 Tanglewood is a 20-minute drive, Ski Butternut 10 minutes, the Norman Rockwell Museum 20 and MASS MoCA 50. 1
What guests say
The subscores explain the 5.0: accuracy, check-in and communication at 5.0, cleanliness and value at 4.9, location at 4.8. 1
Ryan, visiting from Woodbury, Minnesota, posted the newest review on 23 October: "The space was as beautiful, if not more, than the photos. Such a cool experience!" 1
Julia wrote in mid-October that the owners had done "such a wonderful job preserving the original pieces and architectural details, so it truly felt like stepping into a church that had been thoughtfully transformed into a warm, welcoming home". 1
Vanessa, from Farmington, Connecticut, called it "the coolest Airbnb we've ever stayed at" and added, "Awesome property for a spooky bachelorette." 1
Emily, from Germantown, New York, wrote three weeks ago: "For being such a large space, we were surprised at how comfortable it was." 1
One guest dates the building differently. Karl, from Harwich, Massachusetts, wrote in September about "transforming a church built in 1866", while the listing says 1862. 1
What it costs, and the rules that come with it
Architectural Digest listed the Abbey from $1,540 a night in its Berkshires guide, updated 18 August 2026. 4 Airbnb withholds a nightly figure until you pick dates, so treat $1,540 as a starting point. 1
Split ten ways, that works out to about $154 a person.
Extra: the host can bring in Sarah, the baker behind the village's FOUND bakery, for a two-hour sourdough class at the house, from $175 a person. 1
House rules ask for quiet from 10 p.m., allow check-in after 3 p.m. and checkout by 11 a.m., and pets are not allowed. 1 There are exterior security cameras, plus carbon monoxide and smoke alarms. 1
Cell reception is patchy out here and the Wi-Fi is fast; the loft carries the evening entertainment. 1 With two November nights entered, the listing flags "Rare find! This place is usually booked." 1
If a church with a speakeasy in the loft is your kind of weekend, start with the listing.
References
- 1Airbnb: Berkshires Black Abbey
airbnb.com
- 2
- 3Airbnb: Berkshires Black Abbey
airbnb.com
- 4Architectural Digest: 15 Best Berkshires Hotels & Home for a Cozy Weekend Away (2026)
architecturaldigest.com
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