Representation of the various stages of 66 Franklin
Joseph Boff, owner of the historic Winans-Crippen House at 66 Franklin, has withdrawn his application to the city’s Design Review Commission to demolish the building, saying he now aims to sell it. He has asked the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation to assist in finding a buyer, and the organization has agreed.
“We have an opportunity to find a buyer who appreciates the historic qualities and potential of a property located in an historic neighborhood in the heart of downtown Saratoga Springs.” said Samantha Bosshart, the Preservation Foundation’s executive director. “We will do everything we can to work with Mr. Boff and his realtor, Roohan Realty, to find a way to preserve the Winans-Crippen House and develop the adjacent lot in a way that complements the Franklin Square neighborhood and contributes to the vitality of our city.”
The Foundation is now preparing a marketing plan for the property, which Bosshart says is historically important and essential to save for two reasons. First, the building was designed by prominent Saratoga Springs architect John D. Stevens, who also designed the now lost United States Hotel and the Grand Central Hotel, two of the grand 19th century resort hotels that once lined Broadway. “Only a handful of structures designed by Stevens remain in Saratoga Springs,” said Bosshart.
Second, the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a “contributing building” to the Franklin Square-West Side Historic District, which means it’s essential to the historic character of the neighborhood. Built in 1871 by local merchant David Winans, the building is designed in the Second Empire style that was popular at the time of the Civil War. It is an important part of the Franklin Square area streetscape, which showcases the architectural development of Saratoga Springs in the 19th century from the early Greek Revival style houses built in the early 1800s to the Queen Anne style houses built towards the end of that century. The house has been recognized as having national importance by the National Trust for Historic Preservation which has highlighted it as a “threatened” structure in the Trust’s magazine, Preservation.
Possible restoration plan of 66 Franklin Street
Although damaged from weather and interior demolition, the house is structurally sound and can be repaired, according to Donald Friedman, a structural engineer and author with expertise in historic buildings whom the Preservation Foundation retained to evaluate the building.
Bosshart pointed to the restoration of the Batcheller Mansion – a High Victorian Gothic mansion adjacent to Congress Park – as an example of what creative and entrepreneurial people can achieve when they are determined to save a historically important structure. “This is the kind of solution that ultimately can save the Winans-Crippen House,” she said.
The Foundation believes the building potentially could be used for a variety of uses, including office space or condominiums. Initial steps of the marketing plan are to feature the building on the Foundation’s website www.saratogapreservation.org, list the property on national historic property real estate sites, and look for other organizations with which to partner in saving the structure.
Boff instituted a demolition proceeding on the building in November, 2008, but in accordance with a city court order last October has since taken steps to stabilize it and ensure that it poses no threat to public health or safety.
For more information about the Winans-Crippen House, contact Bill Walker at Roohan Realty at (518) 587-4500.
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