Preserving Saratoga

Creative Adaptive Reuse

SARATOGA preserving

WRITTEN BY SAMANTHA BOSSHART, SARATOGA SPRINGS PRESERVATION FOUNDATION PHOTOS PROVIDED BY PHINNEY DESIGN GROUP, TAKEN BY ELIZABETH PEDINOTTI HAYNES, UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED

Circa 1982, photo provided by Bruce Clements

Betsy Olmsted has always been fascinated by animals and nature and attracted to wide open spaces, themes that can be seen in her creative, whimsical hand-painted watercolor, gouache, and ink design textiles throughout her home and studio in Saratoga Springs. etsy was raised by her design savvy mother in rural Pennsylvania, who taught her the appreciation of art, culture, antiques, and textiles. She first came to Saratoga Springs in 1998 to attend Skidmore College, where she also met her husband Peter. Prior to graduating with a fine/studio arts degree, Betsy spent a semester abroad in India, where she was inspired by the crazy bright colors that people wore. After working as a designer for several years, she received a Master of Science in Textile Design from Philadelphia University. Betsy always had a desire to be her own boss. In 2011, she followed that dream by opening a self-titled design and textile business. In 2016, Betsy and Peter found themselves able to return to the city where they met and married when they relocated to be closer to his job. “Growing up in rural Pennsylvania I always had a fantasy of living in a barn. I envisioned living in a wide-open space with bright light,” shared Betsy. Her dream came true when they purchased the former carriage house on Greenfield Avenue that had been adaptively reused into a single-family residence by the previous owners Charlene Wood and Robert Courtney. “The moment I walked into the space I knew it was perfect! It was the best of both worlds, a barn in the city,” said Betsy. Not only was it the best of both worlds that way, but the transformed carriage house also had space for her studio. “With a busy life, the studio allows me the flexibility to make art whenever I am inspired or I’m able to find the time, while also giving me an opportunity to keep an eye on my boys,” Betsy continued. The studio, a former horse stable, has work spaces that are divided not only by function, but by the original iron lattice and wood stall partitions – the first stall, a dye kitchen that serves as a space to experiment with pigments and inks; a second stall, a space to paint her watercolor designs and digitally prepare them for print; and a third stall, a place for finished textiles and preparation and shipping. Visit www.BetsyOlmsted.com to see her textiles. The circa 1885 Queen Anne style carriage house was creatively built and designed to serve the three Cluett brothers’ summer houses located at 2, 6, and 10 Clement Avenue. George B. Cluett, who built

2 Clement Avenue, formed a successful collar, cuff, and shirt manufacturing business in Troy that distributed goods to New York, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, and San Francisco – George B. Cluett, Brothers, and Company. His brothers Edmund and John William Albert built the adjacent houses on Clement Avenue. Each house had a driveway that lead to the carriage house, where each had its own carriage space, stable, and tack room. The carriage house remained in the Cluett family until 1919 when Leland Sterry, who resided at 6 Clement Avenue, purchased it. That same year, Leland, who was well respected in the hotel business, purchased the majority stock in the United States Hotel. Upon his passing in 1923, his wife Marie and their son inherited the house and the carriage house and Marie took over managing the hotel. In 1955, Dorr E. Newtown, an insurance agent and realtor who had bought 2 Clement Avenue in 1952, acquired the carriage house at 53 Greenfield Avenue and used it for storage. After his death, Thomas and Jean Clements, who lived at 107 State Street, purchased the carriage house in 1972. During their ownership, the barn structure remained the same except for updated garage doors. “ It was also where many high school floats were built and we played basketball on the second floor,” fondly remembers Bruce Clements, a son of Thomas and Jean.” “When I lived at 14 Clement Avenue I would look out my kitchen window and see what I affectionately called ‘the big red barn’ and see so many opportunities for the building that I hoped one day we would be able to purchase it,” shared Charlene Wood. In 2007, she and Robert Courtney bought the property from Robert Chauvin, a New York State Supreme Court Judge who had purchased it from the Clements in 2004. “Prior to us purchasing the building, there were parties who were interested in buying the property and demolishing the building, which would have been a tragedy,” said Charlene. While they hated to do it, they removed a portion of the building because it was too large. Working with Phinney Design Group, they took on the creative challenge of making the large carriage house into a home. It was a labor of love, taking great care to retain many of the original features – carriage doors, stall doors, horse stalls, and beadboard. In 2013, their efforts were recognized with an Adaptive Reuse Award by the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation. When Betsy and Peter purchased the carriage house, they made their own mark on the building, painting the exterior a dark color, adding solar panels, changing the interior railings, and painting much of the interior white. “I’m so happy that a young family is living there, and that Betsy has her studio there and is taking the space to the next level,” shared Charlene.

This carriage house was creatively designed for the use of three brothers, creatively adaptively-reused by owners, and creatively used today, serving as a reminder of how our historic buildings represent creativity in many ways.

This home was featured on the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation’s Historic Homes Tour in 2017. While this home will not be featured again, please join us on Saturday, May 9th when the 2020 Historic Homes Tour will showcase a variety of houses and carriage houses.

For more information about the Historic Homes Tour and the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation, please visit SaratogaPreservation.org or call (518) 587-5030. S S