SSIRP Hires Preservation Architects Crawford & Stearns

Press Release

November 6, 2013, Sherburne, New York: Save The Sherburne Inn Restoration Project, Inc. (SSIRP), the nonprofit organization formed in January to save the historic Sherburne Inn, announced today that it has retained preservation architects Crawford & Stearns, of Syracuse (crawfordstearns.com).

It was a challenging decision," SSIRP President Kathleen Yasas said. "We received bids from four architectural firms and all presented outstanding services. In the end, however, the SSIRP board felt that Crawford & Stearns was the best fit."

Crawford & Stearns, founded in 1979, focuses on preservation of architecturally, historically, and culturally significant resources. The firm's expertise is vast, and includes main street and downtown revitalization programs and local landmark preservation.

Architect and partner Randy Crawford, with whom SSIRP will be working closely, is a licensed architect with an advanced degree in the history of architecture. He is qualified under Federal 36 CFR requirements to practice architecture, architectural history, and historic architecture, and has been in private practice for over 35 years. His principal expertise and experience lie in the areas of historic preservation planning and design review, small town revitalization, and commercial revitalization with a particular emphasis on the sympathetic adaptive reuse of historic properties. Mr. Crawford is a frequent speaker on various aspects of historic preservation and has served on the boards of several professional, private, and public boards including the Preservation League of New York State, the Regional Council of Historical Agencies, and the New York Chapter of the Association for Preservation Technology.

"We're thrilled to be working with SSIRP on restoring The Sherburne Inn," Mr. Crawford said. "We think SSIRP's vision is great for the community. This building is an important local landmark, and we at Crawford & Stearns feel its rehabilitation will help revitalize the entire region."

Successful projects require accurate on-site investigation and documentation, the sensitive accommodations of applicable building codes and life safety standards, the incorporation of specific spatial and programmatic needs established by those using the building as well as by various funding and regulatory agencies, the incorporation of environmentally responsible and sustainable design principles, provisions for handicapped accessibility, and an awareness of the physical limitations inherent with an existing structure, as well as the appropriate treatment of historically and architecturally significant features. Crawford & Stearns' partners and senior staff have actively pursued advanced studies in both academic and practical applications and are associated with professional organizations committed to these principles.

"We're looking forward to kicking off the planning stage of this project and working with C/S to bring back a commercial establishment that means so much to our village, "Ms. Yasas said. "SSIRP's goal is not only to save an historic landmark, but to encourage economic development in Sherburne."

The Sherburne Inn, which opened its doors for the first time in 1917 as a hotel and restaurant, has been a mainstay on Sherburne's anchor corner for almost 100 years. In late 2012, the building was threatened by demolition when a chain store proposed to buy The Inn and an adjacent historic building, tear both down, and erect in their place an all-night convenience shop and gas station. SSIRP negotiated an alternative plan with then-owner and local businessman Jim Webb, and purchased The Inn on April 25, 2013.