In the historic village of Richfield Springs, NY, the rehabilitation of a Gilded Age bank building offers a replicable framework for combining passive building principles with historic preservation, while restoring economic vitality to America’s Main Streets. Engaged by two local residents and business owners eager to save the landmark, River Architects collaborated with builder Simple Integrity to transform the 14,800-square-foot, three-story building into a mixed-use development with nine residential units and ground-floor commercial space. Fully leased prior to completion, The Bank Lofts has achieved passive building certification and delivers energy-efficient, market-rate apartments optimized for occupant comfort to a picturesque village primed for resurgence.
Historic Context: A Main Street Landmark
Constructed in 1882 during the village's peak as a spa destination along the commuter route from NYC to Buffalo, the First National Bank of Richfield Springs sat at the heart of the urban sector on Main Street—now part of the U.S. Route 20 Scenic Byway. The ground floor originally housed bank offices, a hardware store, and a tinsmith, while the upper floors provided lodging for visiting tourists. As tourist travel declined in the mid-20th century, many of the village’s grand hotels were razed or lost. Today, a significant number of Victorian-era homes and storefronts remain standing on Main Street, and the district was entered into the National Register of Historic places in 1994.
A Vision for Revitalization, Rooted in Community
After sitting vacant for over a decade, the building was purchased in 2022 by community members Francesca Zambello and Faith E. Gay of Dooalot LLC. Their aims were clear: address the community’s critical need for quality rental housing, restore a long-neglected landmark, and transform it into a fossil-fuel free building, while catalyzing a broader investment in clean energy retrofits. They assembled a team of architects and builders with passive building expertise, who engaged with community stakeholders and conducted extensive archival research. The project represents a powerful moment of reclamation: a building that, at the time of its founding, did not serve women, has been reimagined through the leadership of two women committed to its future.
Design Approach: Preservation + Adaptive Reuse
Design inspiration was grounded in the building’s historic character, with all interventions submitted to the New York Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). Originally constructed not with a typical three-wythes-thick masonry structure but as a timber-frame sheathed in a single layer of bricks, The Bank Lofts had sustained severe structural vulnerabilities including water damage, dry rot, and bowing brick walls that required section-by-section repair. Prioritizing preservation of the historic facade, the project team removed an obsolete chimney and repurposed the reclaimed brick on the exterior. Unable to salvage the original windows, the team incorporated high-performance window replacements designed to closely match the historic appearance, enhanced by dark mullions that lend an understated elegance. A historic marquee was also introduced, drawing from archival images, along with new awnings along the south elevation.
Interior Transformation: A Modern Layout Within Historic Walls
The ground floor preserves defining historic elements, including the original 12-ton chrome, steel, and concrete walk-in bank vault and the decorative matte-ceramic mosaic floor tiles. Curved-wood teller booths are repurposed as office partitions within spaces now serving as a community courtroom, judge’s chamber, and clerk’s office. At the rear of the building, a reimagined garden entry introduces parking, picnic tables, and a triangular ramp that supports deliveries and accessible entry to the ground-floor ADA-compliant residential unit.
River Architects reconfigured circulation to better meet modern-day needs, removing the main stairwell and introducing a U-shaped egress stair—an intervention that maximizes usable floor area while improving safety and efficiency. The upper floors are configured into eight residential units, including one that incorporates a restored 19th-century staircase as a focal point and loft access.
Energy Efficiency & Passive Building Strategy
Certified under Phius CORE REVIVE (2021), the building is defined by airtight construction, continuous insulation, high-performance windows and doors, and a constant supply of fresh, filtered air. For occupants, this translates directly to improved health, comfort, and safety, driven by improved air quality, quiet interiors, and stable temperatures. The building operates as a fully all-electric system, with air-source heat pumps providing heating, cooling, and domestic hot water. A solar array offsets electrical demand, while backup emergency power supports operability during outages. Interior insulation preserves the historic façade while enabling high-performance envelope upgrades, supporting the building’s long-term preservation through enhanced durability. The project was supported by New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) grant initiatives that aim to advance replicable strategies for healthy, low-carbon multifamily housing as well as invigorate the local economy.
A Model For Main Street Revitalization
The successful renovation of The Bank Lofts is a testament to the power of small towns to enact big change, and the potential for integrating Passive Building construction in the adaptive reuse of our nation’s historic buildings while revitalizing our neglected Main Street corridors. Uniting stakeholders across the political spectrum in a shared purpose, the project stands as a commitment to the next generation, offering tangible evidence that our buildings and our climate are not beyond repair.
