Things weren't going so well.
Barely 15 months after it opened, the Adam Berke Gym, the much-publicized, upscale Fenway fitness center, was buckling under acrush of messy financial problems and a sometimes violent familydispute.
Personal trainer Adam Berke, 34, trying to save his eponymousfacility from extinction, proposed to his landlords that he turn thesleek, moodily lit gym at 1260 Boylston St. into a sleek, moodily litbar.To several in the fitness industry, that ambition typified anidentity problem that doomed the Adam Berke Gym to failure almostbefore it opened. The gym, said its critics, was too scene-driven,too image-conscious -- in short, too much like a bar from the verystart.Indeed, the splashy rise and thudding fall of the Adam Berke Gymis more than a tale of financial and familial chaos. It is also thestory of a kind of cultural clash, between a man who apparently sawsuccess in conspicuous glamour and a city far better known for itspersistent practicality.Positioning his stylish facility at the top end of the market,Berke, who for several years had been a fixture on the city's youngersocial scene, tried to attract affluent, image-conscious members.Dues in the beginning were as high as $1,500 a year. The gymoffered not only treadmills and barbells, but lavish extras includinggilt mirrors, subtle lighting, valet parking, and a sofa-strewn juicebar that also served wine. There were plans for an oxygen room,where members could breathe in oxygen-enriched -- even scented --air, as they do in some Los Angeles clubs.Berke, who declined to be interviewed for this story, and his newgym garnered flattering publicity in national magazines such as Vogueand GQ. Boston magazine gave Berke two 1998 Best of Boston awards:Best Personal Trainer, for his professional competence, and BestPublic Sculpture, for his physique.Ordinarily, that kind of publicity would lead to healthy trade.But local fitness fanatics, say other gym owners, want few frillswith their Stairclimbers and spinning classes. Here in Boston, theysay, people like their workouts nice and simple.'There are places, like L.A. and New York, where they go to{health} clubs to be seen,' said Cathy Masterson McNeill, spokeswomanfor the International Health, Racket and Sports Club Association.'But that doesn't tend to happen in Boston. Here, they like a niceenvironment, but it's not image for image's sake.'Sooner or later, most of the fitness professionals seeking toexplain the problems at the Adam Berke Gym arrived at the C-word.'Boston, just by its nature, is very conservative,' said MarkHarrington, president of Healthworks Fitness Centers. 'People don'twant trendiness in their life, and they want a product they can counton. Adam Berke had a lot of publicity, but that just wasn'timportant to the consumer we know.'Those consumers stayed away from the new gym, and it was ailingvirtually since its much-ballyhooed arrival in October 1997.'There were very few people working out there,' said Bonnie Jones,a Fenway resident who first visited the gym Jan. 7 for trainingsessions with Berke. 'It seemed strange to me.'The gym also suffered from more practical problems. Few residentsof student-filled Fenway could afford the high fees, and there waslimited parking for patrons from more affluent neighborhoods.'He was doing high-end stuff, but it was absolutely in the wronglocation,' said Paul Crisostamo, owner of Mike's Gym in the SouthEnd.And the club's decor may have alienated some potential members.'If a gym is to be successful, it has to be into health and notaesthetics,' Crisostamo said. 'It was more a nightclub atmospherethan a gym.'McNeill agreed. 'One reason you exercise is to feel energy, andup,' she said. 'A dark atmosphere, I think, is counter-intuitive.'A year after it opened, Berke had cut the club's fee, offeringfull-year memberships for as little as $99. But he was still unableto attract enough members to appease his creditors.Jones did venture into the gym, to engage Berke as a personaltrainer based on the Boston magazine recommendation. She said shepaid him $300 for four sessions, but got only two.'I was there on Jan. 22, a Friday, then I went back on Mondaymorning and there was nothing there,' she said. 'It was reallystartling to think that all of it had disappeared since Friday.'Looking back, Jones said, she had noticed fixtures and furnituremissing in the weeks leading up to the eviction.'There were certainly signals things were not in good shape,'Jones said. 'But I had no clue the gym would actually be closing,and I felt sure {Berke} must have known that when he accepted mymoney.'Berke's landlords had told him point-blank that his bar idea was ano-go, said their lawyer, Lenard Zide. Last weekend, Berke, who hadalso been living at the gym, according to his lawyer, was finallyevicted from the premises for defaulting on rent payments totalingmore than $130,000, according to eviction orders in Roxbury DistrictCourt.'He owed a substantial amount,' said Zide. 'The landlord tried tomake accommodations. At some time you have to cut your losses.'Those landlords joined a half-dozen other creditors who have alsobrought suits against Berke in the past six months.Berke and his company have been sued by radio station WBCN, andpublications The Improper Bostonian and Bay Windows, for unpaidadvertising bills totaling more than $18,000. LAZ parking, whichleased 30 Fenway spaces to Berke when the gym opened, sued him for$3,600 in uncollected fees.Suits also were brought against the gym by a member who said Berkehad overcharged her for training sessions, and by a woman who saidshe never received a refund of her $1,000 membership fee promised toher in writing by Berke. Both won their cases by default when Berkedid not show up for hearings.It is unclear whether current gym members will have their duesrefunded, or whether memberships will be transferred to other gyms.None of the people interviewed for this story knew how many memberswould be affected by the closing.As the gym sank further and further into debt, Berke was embroiledin a bitter, protracted dispute with family members over itsfinances.He has accused his father, Carl Berke III, of siphoning off gymfunds for personal use, said the younger Berke's lawyer, Philip A.Tracy Jr. For his part, Carl Berke has accused his son of embezzlinggym money, according to a criminal complaint made by Carl Berke atRoxbury District Court.On Sept. 4, according to police reports, the dispute betweenfather and son erupted into a fistfight in the gym's lobby.'The father suffered more injuries,' said Tracy. 'But AdamBerke's position is that his father started it. Mr. Berke went tothe hospital, then a race to the courthouse began.'Adam Berke said at the time that his father attacked his wife,Catherine, and he came to her defense. The police incident reportlisted his father as the perpetrator.Carl Berke immediately took out a restraining order against hisson. Catherine Berke took out a restraining order against CarlBerke. She also sought a restraining order against Joshua Berke,Adam's brother, whom she also accused of embezzlement.The father and the son have brought assault and battery chargesagainst each other; those cases are set to be heard early this month.None of the family members would be interviewed for this story.'It's an ugly family dispute,' said Tracy. 'There's no questionthere's bad feeling on all sides. There's always hope that somehowthere can be a resolution, but right now it's not on the table.'
