The fight to preserve the historic Universal Preservation Hall (UPH) in downtown Saratoga Springs began eight years ago, and while extensive interior work has stabilized the building, only now are people starting to see the project pay dividends as work on the building's "community plaza" is currently underway.
Since construction began on the 19th century building, laborers have
completed extensive work on the interior and exterior of the building,
including the addition of a new roof, restored woodwork, a new heating
system, renovated bathrooms, restored stain glass, structural
reinforcements and the creation of a community room and performance
hall. This type of reconstruction work was part of phase one of the UPH
project, which was intended to save the structure that was in danger of
collapsing prior to construction, Tom Lewis, president of UPH's board
of directors, said.
"The first phase of the project was to save the building from collapsing and since that is finished, now we are starting the second phase which is intended to make it work for the community as an ongoing community asset," Lewis said.
Lewis added that while more than $2 million has already been spent on the project, it may appear to the public that hardly any work has taken place due to most of the reconstruction having occurred inside the hall.
"To some people it may look as if we haven't made much progress because of how terrible it looks out front, but this is going to change once the plaza is finished," Lewis said. "It will be a significant step forward for us."
The plaza is expected to help make the building and project more visible to the community. It will include new steps topped with granite, a radiant heating system, decorative lamps, trees and a number of other features to liven up the outside of the building.
The plaza will cost $400,000 and is being funded through a new program called the "Bold Steps" campaign, which is intended to raise the remaining $1.5 million to complete the project - in total the restoration work will cost $5 million once completed. The remaining improvements, aside from the community plaza, include the addition of an elevator, fire escape exits, seats in the performance hall that will accommodate 700 people, radiant heating on the building's second floor and a sprinkler system on the first floor.
According to Lewis the project has been made possible in part by some major contributions from area businesses like Stewart's Shops, Putnam Market and the Adirondack Trust Company, not to mention numerous small donations, grants and one anonymous donor who contributed $1 million to the project. Aside from monetary donations, the organization has also received donations of pipes, a heating system, roof shingles and a number of other materials that were used to repair the building.
"People who have made really wonderful, generous and superb contributions have not only made them to UPH but also the community, because it is just as much about the community as it is the hall," Lewis said.
He added that people don't just have to make major contributions to the project in order to help make a difference as the organization is very grateful for any amount of money people can donate.
"There was one woman who gave $250 over five years," Lewis said. "She wrote a note of deep apology for not being able to give more, and I couldn't believe it because we were so grateful for her help."
People who donate a minimum of $500 will get their name engraved on one of the plaza's light posts and for those select few donors who contributed a significant amount of money to the project, they will receive a brick in the plaza with their name engraved on it.
Aside from contributions by donors, Lewis also said the improvements that have and continue to take place would not have been possible without the help of master carpenters Peter Jensen, Joe Murphy and Steve Olney, who according to Lewis, love the work they have done to preserve the building.
"They take great pride in what they have accomplished and what they have been able to achieve while working on the building," he said. "In some ways it is really their building."
While the project is still a ways from being complete, UPH has already started to pay off for the community as it is currently being used for concerts, lectures, theatre, dance, community events and weddings, which raise money to fund the building's operational budget.
"We wanted to take the building and turn it into an asset for the whole community," Lewis said. "We are now in the phase where we are trying to make that a reality by making the space available to the public for rental and holding various concerts and community events, and while it has already started to serve the public, it has so much more potential to serve the community."
To learn more about UPH and how you can contribute, visit www.universalpreservationhall.org
"The first phase of the project was to save the building from collapsing and since that is finished, now we are starting the second phase which is intended to make it work for the community as an ongoing community asset," Lewis said.
Lewis added that while more than $2 million has already been spent on the project, it may appear to the public that hardly any work has taken place due to most of the reconstruction having occurred inside the hall.
"To some people it may look as if we haven't made much progress because of how terrible it looks out front, but this is going to change once the plaza is finished," Lewis said. "It will be a significant step forward for us."
The plaza is expected to help make the building and project more visible to the community. It will include new steps topped with granite, a radiant heating system, decorative lamps, trees and a number of other features to liven up the outside of the building.
The plaza will cost $400,000 and is being funded through a new program called the "Bold Steps" campaign, which is intended to raise the remaining $1.5 million to complete the project - in total the restoration work will cost $5 million once completed. The remaining improvements, aside from the community plaza, include the addition of an elevator, fire escape exits, seats in the performance hall that will accommodate 700 people, radiant heating on the building's second floor and a sprinkler system on the first floor.
According to Lewis the project has been made possible in part by some major contributions from area businesses like Stewart's Shops, Putnam Market and the Adirondack Trust Company, not to mention numerous small donations, grants and one anonymous donor who contributed $1 million to the project. Aside from monetary donations, the organization has also received donations of pipes, a heating system, roof shingles and a number of other materials that were used to repair the building.
"People who have made really wonderful, generous and superb contributions have not only made them to UPH but also the community, because it is just as much about the community as it is the hall," Lewis said.
He added that people don't just have to make major contributions to the project in order to help make a difference as the organization is very grateful for any amount of money people can donate.
"There was one woman who gave $250 over five years," Lewis said. "She wrote a note of deep apology for not being able to give more, and I couldn't believe it because we were so grateful for her help."
People who donate a minimum of $500 will get their name engraved on one of the plaza's light posts and for those select few donors who contributed a significant amount of money to the project, they will receive a brick in the plaza with their name engraved on it.
Aside from contributions by donors, Lewis also said the improvements that have and continue to take place would not have been possible without the help of master carpenters Peter Jensen, Joe Murphy and Steve Olney, who according to Lewis, love the work they have done to preserve the building.
"They take great pride in what they have accomplished and what they have been able to achieve while working on the building," he said. "In some ways it is really their building."
While the project is still a ways from being complete, UPH has already started to pay off for the community as it is currently being used for concerts, lectures, theatre, dance, community events and weddings, which raise money to fund the building's operational budget.
"We wanted to take the building and turn it into an asset for the whole community," Lewis said. "We are now in the phase where we are trying to make that a reality by making the space available to the public for rental and holding various concerts and community events, and while it has already started to serve the public, it has so much more potential to serve the community."
To learn more about UPH and how you can contribute, visit www.universalpreservationhall.org
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