SPECIAL TO THE JOURNAL-REGISTER

ALBION — The historic Albion Academy is finding new life as modern housing for senior citizens and as a home for additional services for seniors and the general public. The rehabilitation and renovation of the former elementary school into new apartments has inspired creative solutions to the problems found in this aging building.

Built in 1906, the Albion Academy originally served as a high school until a new one was built in the 1930s. The academy then became the grammar school, serving kindergarten through sixth grades before closing in the 1960s. It is located on East Academy Street, just south of the Erie Canal in the village of Albion, in the center of Orleans County.

The academy was constructed using gray Medina sandstone, a distinctive material found in the area.

Rural Opportunities Inc. began planning in 2005 to redesign the aging building and restore it. ROI determined senior housing to be the best primary use for the Academy, as this use would bring in the funding needed for its rehabilitation. During the planning process, the Orleans County Office for the Aging and the Arc of Orleans County also supported having space allocated in the Academy to serve their populations and local residents.

Thirty residential units will be created on the second, third and fourth floors, providing modern and safe housing. The first floor will be home to facilities useful to both the building’s residents and to the local community.

Half of the first floor will be allocated to the Office for the Aging, which is creating a community dining area, nutritional program, senior exercise program and a resource library for seniors and their caregivers. The Arc of Orleans County will use the other half of the first floor for a senior day care center and office space.

“It’s been wonderful to have so much support from the town and village of Albion,” said Amy Casciani, ROI real estate development project director.

“Many of the future residents, clients and their children attended school at the Academy and are pleased to see it being rehabilitated and used productively. It’s a significant building in the village.”

Construction began on the Academy in September 2007 and is scheduled to be complete by the beginning of 2009. ROI has partnered with Nathaniel General Contractors and Passero Associates to create design specifications that met the required budget. Nathaniel General Contractors is serving as general contractor, providing design-build and construction services.

“The renovation of the Albion Academy is all part of a larger plan to fill the need for local senior housing and to rehabilitate sections of the village,” said Charlie Nesbitt, former New York state assemblyman representing Albion. “As part of this program, ROI has purchased and renovated dilapidated village housing and offered it for sale to first-time homeowners. The Albion Academy is progressing very nicely and will have a wonderful impact on that neighborhood. The building was showing the signs of long neglect and the work they’re doing will save it.”

The total cost of the project is about $7 million, with funding coming from: ROI, NeighborWorks America, the state Division of Housing & Community Renewal, the National Equity Fund, M&T; Bank, Federal Home Loan Bank of New York through its member bank Maple City Bank, and construction financing provided by Greater Rochester Housing Partnership and Bank of America.

“It has been both a pleasure and a challenge to save the many historical elements of this building,” said Mira Mejibovsky, senior project architect of Passero Associates. “We have found some creative design solutions which have resulted in an extraordinary project.” Passero Associates is providing complete architectural and engineering design services.

The grand main entrance features Corinthian columns, wood wainscoting and stamped tin ceilings, which will be preserved in the new community room and in the library. Some original moldings and elaborate wood trim found throughout the building are also being restored or replicated.

The original classroom doors are being left in place as decorative elements for the hallways. The newly created apartments are carved out of what were previously classrooms, which were an ideal size for one-bedroom apartments, about 600 square feet each. The thick masonry walls of the original classrooms minimize sound traveling between apartments. The floors in each apartment will be carpeted. Two-bedroom apartments are being built in the former auditorium space.

Serious environmental issues with the building have been addressed, including asbestos and lead abatement. All workers on the project are required to complete thorough training on lead and other environmental hazards.

The restoration was coordinated with the state to ensure that every effort was made to appropriately preserve the building, and the project designs received the approval of the agency.

To apply for housing in the Albion Academy, contact Rosa Martinez at ROI, 585-546-6340, ext. 310. Residents will be moving in as soon as construction is complete.