Anyone driving along Routes 20 and 13 in the last month has probably noticed construction crews hard at work on one of Cazenovia’s most historical structures.

Carpenter’s Barn, located at 1 Forman St. received $427,965 in state and local funding for the stabilization of deteriorated conditions and enhancement of the building’s exterior. Work on revamping the 123-year-old foundation, retaining walls and masonry began in May and is expected to conclude by September.

“What we’re doing is getting the building stable,” said Cazenovia resident and Crawford and Stearns Architects and Preservation Planners Project Manager Ted Bartlett. “It’s going to look good, with [exterior cosmetic work and] a new coat of paint. The roof won’t leak, the back wall will be repaired. Significant historical features will be retained and some later accretions will be removed. This is a big project for the building, and will buy it a lot of time.”

Helping to buy Carpenter’s Barn additional time is a $250,000 Special Improvement Project grant from the New York State Dormitory Authority secured by Assemblyman Bill Magee, a $133,965 Environmental Protection Fund grant from the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, a donation of $11,000 from the Cazenovia Preservation Foundation in honor of Linda Marshall and about $33,000 of in-kind services, not cash outlay, from the village of Cazenovia.

Presently, the foundation of the south wing is being repaired, as well as the wall neighboring Chittenango Creek. The windows facing Forman Street have received a coat of primer and much of the exterior masonry has been retouched. When the stabilization and beautification is complete, Carpenter’s Barn will be open to the public as a community center and service building for Lakeland Park.

Prior to the start of construction, Bartlett said James D’Aloisio of the firm Klepper, Hahn & Hyatt completed the engineering reports and Crawford and Stearns assisted with planning and design work. The laborious stabilization is currently being done by the Earlville-based business S.E Davis Construction LLC.

Built in 1889, the structure was originally constructed as a carriage house for the Carpenter family’s estate. CAVAC began using the building as its headquarters in 1974 and operated there for the next 35 years. The suggested cost of repair prompted the volunteer corps to build a new facility further up Route 20, opening the historic space for new uses.

The Cazenovia Rowing Club briefly occupied the space, renting it from the village of Cazenovia, which resumed control of Carpenter’s Barn in the 1930s and formerly used it as the Department of Public Works headquarters.

Bartlett said since the village began managing the building in the 30s, lots of work had been done, but not all changes were documented. He invites all residents with interesting photos of Carpenter’s Barn — circa to its construction, the village takeover, CAVAC occupancy or the last few years — to submit copies to the village of Cazenovia for posterity. He also said donations are welcomed, and should be made out to the village of Cazenovia, care of Deputy Mayor Amy Mann.

In the future, the village will continue to research and apply for EPF grant funding in order to stabilize a potion of the Forman Street wall which holds the iron gate and a portion of the retaining wall in Lakeland Park near the public swimming area.

Pierce Smith is editor of the Cazenovia Republican. He can be reached at 434-8889 ext. 338 or [email protected].