Written By Cira Masters  |  Photos by Elizabeth Haynes Photography

[From the 2025 Fall Magazine]

- Walt & Whitman Brewery –

Saratoga Springs, NY

At Phinney Design Group, adaptive reuse and historic restoration are more than architectural strategies—they’re acts of storytelling. Every reclaimed beam, every repaired façade, every reimagined floor plan honors a building’s origins while inviting it into a new era.

Our approach combines deep historical research with contemporary design thinking. We believe that the most meaningful architecture emerges when preservation and innovation work together.

From the lively hum of a brewery to the quiet focus of a modern office, these projects demonstrate the transformative potential of adaptive reuse and historic restoration. In every case, Phinney Design Group has balanced heritage with contemporary needs, proving that the most sustainable building is the one already standing—lovingly restored and brilliantly reimagined.

The transformation of the former Saratogian newspaper building into Walt & Whitman Brewery is a masterclass in adaptive reuse. Built in 1902, the 16,338-square-foot structure now houses a bustling coffeehouse upstairs (“Walt”), a brewery and taproom downstairs (“Whitman”), and a 3,178-square-foot beer hall addition for events and dining.

The project preserved original masonry, timber posts, and expansive windows while introducing custom steel elements, a wood-fired pizza oven, and a flexible layout. By day, locals sip lattes in sun-washed spaces; by night, the brewery hums with conversation and clinking glasses.

Walt & Whitman has quickly become a community anchor—showing how a single building can support multiple identities and rhythms of urban life.

- AMSURE Building -
Saratoga Springs, NY

The AMSURE headquarters reimagines a late 1920s dress factory turned civic building into a contemporary workplace while respecting its heritage. The 14,000-square-foot structure underwent a full systems overhaul, thermal envelope upgrades, and careful masonry repair.

Original exterior character—brickwork, cornices, and window patterns—was preserved, while interiors were reorganized into semi-open office zones with modern conference spaces.

This project not only enhanced operational efficiency for AMSURE but also restored a key piece of Saratoga’s architectural fabric.

- 504 Broadway -

Troy, NY (Upcoming)

In downtown Troy, the 504 Broadway project will adapt a 1960s brick office building into a four-story, 15,600-square-foot net-zero mixed-use hub—using mass timber as the structural heart.,

The design preserves the original masonry shell while inserting a sustainable timber frame that opens interiors for new uses: a restaurant/lounge with a furniture showroom and design center on the ground floor, rentable Air BnB’s on the second, and Phinney Design Group’s own Troy headquarters on the upper level. A green roof, a full solar array, and EV infrastructure anchor the project’s environmental goals.

With state Historic Preservation approval and NYSERDA/Empire State Development support, 504 Broadway will set a precedent for Net-Zero and carbon-neutral redevelopment in historic urban contexts.