Creative Reuse to Beautify Downtown
With its rich history and stately Romanesque Revival architecture, it is no wonder that Gloversville residents are determined to give new purpose to the former First United Methodist Church at 7 Elm Street.
Designed by then-prominent Syracuse-based architect Horatio Nelson White, the 1870 building will have a new life, making it a significant addition to the renaissance of downtown Gloversville. “It’s located in the downtown core right off of Main Street between several DRI [Downtown Revitalization Initiative] projects, so it’s feeding off the synergy that’s going on with the DRI,” said Jennifer Donovan, the Fulton County Center for Regional Growth’s Gloversville Downtown Development Specialist.
This is good news for Fulton County’s economy because of the building’s central location. “It’s literally in the heart of everything,” said architect Tom Politi of the New York City-based firm Politi + Siano Architects, PLLC who began work on the project in January 2023.
“We have to move as fast as possible,” Politi said.
Left abandoned for at least a decade due to the changing cultural landscape, the building had begun to deteriorate. Thieves stole the former church’s massive stained glass windows, leaving the interior vulnerable to decay, vandals took their toll, and birds moved in to nest.
The project requires certain expertise; The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998, so its restoration plan requires approval from the New York State Historic Preservation Office. Politi’s job is to create a design for the building’s adaptive reuse that ensures the preservation of the structure’s original architecture. Politi estimates that the project will take at least three years and perhaps a bit longer to complete.
He began by having the interior of the building scanned using new technology. The scan allowed for the creation of a 3-D model which he converted to drawings. The same process will be used for the building’s exterior.
A Phase I study will help determine how they can create a new use for the building that will fit in with Gloversville’s downtown, complementing other projects and areas of the city. “This Phase I study is basically telling us what the best thing is that we can do for the building as far as function and program,” Politi said.
Owner Hemerode Lorzemé pictures the chapel space in the front of the building being converted into a reception hall for wedding receptions and other large events. The back half of the structure is an addition that the church built in the early 1900s. That space could be converted into a fine dining restaurant. The downstairs of the building could have flexible uses, Politi said, such as a place for entertainment and a restaurant that serves light, late-night fare, an element now absent in the downtown area.
Those working on the project are considering a new entrance for the back of the building and a transformation of the exterior space to include a veranda or garden terrace, possibly a biergarten. This area would complement a DRI project that is making St. Thomas Square into a year-round area for activities. “As Tom’s working on it, he’s looking at what the overall atmosphere will be, not just for their project, but for the whole community,” Donovan said. “It’s a wonderful testament to how they want to be a team player in Gloversville. It’s great to have this team effort and this synergy that’s going on between everyone.”
Currently, all of these possible reuses are in the very preliminary investigatory phase. “We’re going to do a performance survey to see which of all these items we’re thinking about will bring in enough projects to pay for the building’s renovation and operation costs,” Politi said.
While the building’s exterior will be restored to its original look, its interior systems are where big modernization will happen, specifically relating to sustainability. Politi is looking for where the project might employ photovoltaics to generate power for the massive 30,000 square-foot space with 35-foot vaulted ceilings. “The volume of the building is so large,” Politi said. A geothermal system for heating and cooling is another idea he is considering. In addition, the building will meet the 2023 Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) Standards for Accessible Design.
“What they’re planning and anticipating is going to be great,” Donovan said. “It really works well for what is coming to Gloversville and what is already there.”
“We’re just trying to figure it out,” said Politi, who has 24 years of experience working on the massive buildings of colleges and universities as well as the United States Embassy in Italy. “There’s a lot to this puzzle. It’s a huge challenge for my office, which I enjoy.”
Donovan and her colleagues at the FCCRG stand ready to assemble a plan that incorporates the various avenues of funding available for the project, which has generated a great deal of enthusiasm and is warmly supported by Gloversville Mayor Vincent DeSantis.
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