Vilas Home’s phase one expansion nearing completion

PLATTSBURGH — Phase one of the historic 134-year-old Samuel F. Vilas Home expansion has entered the home stretch, with completion now expected for May.

A two-phase expansion project had begun in the fall of 2020, with plans to construct a now nearly finished three-story building, and then complete a historically sensitive renovation of the 1888 Vilas Home, located at the corner of Cornelia and Beekman Streets, into two, secure memory care units.

PRESERVE AND EXPAND

Eli and Emily Schwartzberg, who purchased the Vilas Home from its not-for-profit board in 2019, said renovating and preserving the historic building and its rich history has continued to be at the forefront of the project.

“It’s kind of in the heart of Plattsburgh, so if it were just torn down or like turned into college dorms, it would have been really terrible,” Emily said.

“We’re really happy to … preserve it and expand it, so that it’s around for another 130 years.”

NEW FEATURES

The home’s new building will feature bright and spacious resident rooms with private baths, common spaces, a grand two-story dining room, an ice cream parlor and a salon when finished.

The new building will immediately make available 70 assisted living rooms with enhanced age-in-place services that will include 24/7 personal care assistance, medication management, daily meals and snacks, laundry and housekeeping services, and case management services, as well as local transportation, a press release said.

The Vilas Home’s current 42 residents will be able to move into the new three-story residence, and receive first choice among the new suites when phase two construction officially begins in the early summer, Eli said during a tour of the building.

In phase two of the expansion, a new grand lobby will be constructed with a drop-off loop and port cochere, a four-season sun porch facing Cornelia Street, and an outdoor courtyard featuring a walking loop, shuffleboard court, putting green and barbeque area.

An activities room with a demonstration kitchen, a gym with an aqua therapy pool and a library will be available at that time as well.

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