Period
1861-1969
First Reformed Church of Schenectady
Location
Schenectady, New York
Notables
National Register of Historic Places
HISTORICAL LEGACY
The First Reformed Church of Schenectady, located within the Stockade Historic District, is composed of numerous structures including the Historic Sanctuary (1861), the Poling Building (circa 1890), it’s annex (1946), the north annex (1959), two historic 18th Century row houses with a 1991 annex. The original Sanctuary burned in 1948 and was rebuilt soon after.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
The scope of work for restoring and renovating the church included considerable interior renovations, the design of 2 additions and exterior work on the west facade of the Poling building.
DESIGN
There were two additions designed into to the building footprint:
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A 40’-0” long, 10’-0” wide sloping corridor that provides a code compliant ramp and direct handicap accessibility to the sanctuary space and other areas of the church.
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The other addition is on the second floor adjacent to the north side of the Poling Building. To comply with code regulations, a stairway was added to provide egress from the second floor to the main floor and exits. This stair is located within the second-floor addition, which also houses an elevator, additional office space, and storage for the church’s music department.
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The Poling Building was designed back to its original function of a large gathering space for church functions.
REALIZATION
To execute the design, partial removal of the second floor and complete removal of the third floor created a large, open space with a balcony level like the original composition of the space. Other aspects of the renovations included improved circulation and ADA accessibility compliance.
Other exterior work to the West Façade of the Poling Building included cleaning, repairing and repointing the brick façade. Brick was also filled between the gable’s peaks and a fire escape and door were installed. The double hung aluminum window sash inserts were removed and replaced with new wood windows that replicate the original wood windows are still in place on the East façade.
