15 Church Street

Last night for the first time I walked past the long vacant building known to many as “the purple building behind the post office” and was excited to see it bustling with activity.  It gave me a renewed sense of hope for the other long vacant, neglected buildings in Saratoga Springs.

I have walked by the building located at 15 Church Street nearly daily since I moved to Saratoga Springs in 2006 and I have always seen the great potential of the building.  Thankfully Tom Burke III saw that same great potential of this boarded up building that had been vacant for over 20 years and on the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation’s Ten to Save list since 2003.

Tom Burke III over the years often said to his father, Tom Burke, “someday I’m going to buy that building; it is going to be my first real estate investment.”   His father says “You can’t make this stuff up – together we made it happen!”   Well, I can certainly say that I’m glad it happened and I’m sure others in the community feel the same way.

The building has an interesting history.  The primary façade you see today was actually a later addition.  Ralph Brintnall purchased property on the north side of Church Street adjacent Long Alley in a series of transactions between 1844 and 1853. During that time he built a hotel/boarding house called the Franklin House.   Circa 1870, Brintnall built a three-story brick veneer addition with a full-width porch that set back from the street – this addition was what today is now 15 Church Street.

The Franklin Hotel remained in the Brintnall family until 1906 when William McNeary purchased the property.  William McNeary was a livery driver who owned a livery stable. In 1909, McNeary built a new livery directly behind 15 Church Street on Long Alley and moved his business from its original location at 9-11 Church Street, the current site of the Post Office which was built the following year in 1910. In 1908, McNeary built a three-story, 23’addition to the front of 15 Church Street, which is the façade you see today with the bay windows.

It appears at this time that 15 Church Street was no longer used as part of the Franklin House. The adjacent Franklin House continued to operate as a boarding house and hotel under the proprietorship of various people until it was demolished in 1936.

The first floor of 15 Church Street had two commercial spaces with two apartments above.   During the McNeary family ownership, the building was home to a different cafes and restaurants:  Studio Café, Ernie’s Lunch, Charlie’s Lunch, Jock’s Lunch, Jimmy’s Lunch, Biggie & Murphy Restaurant, and the Welcome Inn.   In addition to restaurants, the commercial spaces were also home to an auto supply store, a fruit store, an undertaker wholesale supply store, a shoemaker, and a tire store.  From 1938-1970 Albert K. Braim, a well-known attorney and horse owner, maintained an office and apartment above – it was not uncommon for business owner to rent a space above. Frank J. Salley’s shoe repair shop was the longest tenant of the building, 1923-1966.

In 1966, the McNeary family sold 15 Church Street to Robert Schrade and Peter Weisburger, who took over both commercial spaces for Gold Lion Restaurant, which operated until 1979.  Frank and Joseph D’ Andrea, Donald Clements,  and Gary Scavone purchased the building in 1979 and converted the Gold Lion Restaurant into and  D’Andrea’s Restaurant, which operated in the space until 1982. Thomas Gardner purchased the property in 1987 and then later sold to The Gathering Gallery, LLC in 2004.

Tom Burke and his son purchased the property with the vision of reopening a restaurant on the first floor and each having a residence in the building.  John Muse was hired as the architect.  Muse said one of the greatest challenges was adapting a building that had different floor heights and limited floor space into a modern restaurant and apartments while retaining the character of the building.  “It takes the right owners who see the value in a historic building and want to make the investment in not only the building, but the community.”

Tom Burke understood the value in taking a building that had sat vacant and derelict for a number of years.  “We saw the great bones and history of the building and we thought it was deserving of renovation. We didn’t want to lose it and simply was the right thing to do even though it was more difficult, cost more, and took more time,” said Burke.   He concluded, “It is a privileged to be a part of this building’s renaissance.”

The restaurant, 15 Church, is a collaboration of Burke and Paul McCullough, featuring award winning chef Jason Baker.  The restaurant features progressive American cuisine with a European influence that has something for everyone.  Tom describes the restaurant as a “little jewel box” and after being inside I have to agree.  It has rich colors and textures that are elegant, but as Burke says “are not pretentious.”  The restaurant opened last Wednesday and is open six days a week.  The restaurant is a lovely addition to Church Street and will only add to the activity that has already been created since the construction of the Mabee Building and the Bow Tie Cinemas.

Thank you for your investment in our community and giving me – and hopefully others – a renewed sense of hope that there are still people who have vision, see the value of historic neglected buildings and will take on the challenges of bringing them back to life so that others can enjoy them and the stories that they tell long into the future.

Founded in 1977, the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation is a private, not-for-profit organization that promotes preservation and enhancement of the architectural, cultural and landscaped heritage of Saratoga Springs.  To learn more about the Foundation visit www.saratogapreservation.org.