Excellence Award Spotlight: Ethel T. Chamberlain House
The Ethel T. Chamberlain House is one of this year’s Excellence in Historic Preservation Award winners. This post is part of an in depth series exploring all of the 2020 Award winners.
The nonprofit Housing Visions seeks to be a catalyst for positive change through their work as a developer, general contractor, and property manager. With the Ethel T. Chamberlain house, they transformed an abandoned former apartment building into the Salvation Army Women’s Shelter.
Before and after shots of the interior, showing a hallway and stairwell. Credit: Don Cochran
Built around 1926, the Sagamore’s residents were among the rising middle and upper class of Syracuse. A victim of urban renewal and white flight, the Sagamore started to decline in the 1970s. By the 1980s, this decline had taken full effect. The building was eventually abandoned and fell into significant disrepair over the course of two decades of vacancy. Portions of the interior were severely deteriorated due to roof leaks and fire damage. Thankfully, the exterior of the building remained structurally sound even as such a large portion of the interior had not. Despite the significant damage, Housing Visions made sure to respect the building’s historic features while modernizing and designing for sustainability whenever possible. Details like the mosaic tile border in the hallway and decorative cast stone panels on the exterior were preserved. That attention to detail paid off when the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017.
In an effort to further this project’s commitment to sustainability, a rooftop solar array was installed after a total renovation of the roof. Credit: Don Cochran
In upgrading the building, lights were replaced with LEDs and a rooftop solar array was installed. The project meets both the EPA’s Energy Star Program and Enterprise’s Green Community Program requirements. The building has also been made accessible with a wheelchair lift and modern elevator.
Restoring this historic property has not only improved the neighborhood by bringing a historic building back to its former glory. The Ethel T. Chamberlain House is providing essential services and housing to an at-risk population, giving the women who rely on this space a safe, welcoming place to go. From the Salvation Army’s website: “The Salvation Army’s Women’s Shelter provides temporary emergency housing for adult women without children, who have serious mental health problems and psychiatric disabilities. Crisis counseling, comprehensive social work support services, mental health services and linkages to community resources are provided to help the women obtain housing stability, income supports, mental health treatment and supportive services. The Women's Shelter has 15 beds and 16 subsidized one bedroom apartments.“ The goal of creating positive change for this neighborhood was successfully met, and the League congratulate Housing Visions, the Syracuse area Salvation Army, and the entire team with a job well done.
The Ethel T. Chamberlain House accommodates women in need with on-site support staff, temporary housing, and subsidized permanent housing. Credit: Don Cochran
The Ethel T. Chamberlain House project team included: Housing Visions Unlimited Inc. – Ben Lockwood, President & CEO, Rebecca Trevisani, Executive Vice President & COO, Christopher Trevisani, Vice President Business Development, Diana Jakimoski, Director of Development, David Brazell, Vice President Construction, Kelly Sweet, Senior Project Manager; Holmes King Kallquist & Associates, Architect; Nick Maglasang, Vice President, Twain Financial; Katelyn Wright, Executive Director, Greater Syracuse Land Bank.