Cornerstones: 1 Franklin Square renovation merges history with innovation

“This is where early prominent citizens chose to build their homes, close to the railroad and downtown,” says Bosshart.

In January of this year, the Phinney Design Group acquired the property for $1.37 million from Ed Mitzen, the founder of the marketing firm Fingerpaint. Mitzen had previously used the building as satellite office space for his main office on Broadway, before giving a long-term lease to the nonprofit Shelters of Saratoga.

“Anytime I’ve walked by I’ve always kind of adored it,” says Michael Phinney, founding principal architect of Phinney Design Group, of the Franklin Square home. “It just ended up being the perfect fit for us.”

Founded in 2002, Phinney Design Group provides architecture, interior design, green building consulting and construction management services, with a focus on sustainable and eco-friendly practices. The company’s main office is located in the Beekman Street Arts District in Saratoga Springs. As the business expanded, Phinney was drawn to the Franklin Square building’s timeless architecture, which he had studied for a client nearly a decade earlier.

There’s a lot of examples of Greek Revival and Victorian architecture in Saratoga, but most of what you see is wood frame and clapboard siding,” says Phinney.  “For it to be all stone with the pediment and the columns is unique.”

The first floor at 1 Franklin Square is home to the company’s Construction Management division, a team of about 10 to 14 associates. The space reflects the firm’s ongoing commitment to merging historic preservation with modern innovation, all while promoting urban revitalization and sustainability, says Phinney.

“We’re very diverse and we’ve won awards for historic preservation, and we’ve also won design awards for very new, modern buildings,” says Phinney. “We really look at every project as a unique opportunity with a unique set of circumstances.”