Samuel F. Vilas Home to expand under new ownership

PLATTSBURGH | At the venerable age of 130 years, the Samuel F. Vilas Home stands as an important part of Plattsburgh's history. When the building began to experience financial hardship, the owners of Champlain Valley Senior Community in Willsboro decided it was time to give residents of Clinton County their own local option for those needing memory care. Eli Schwartzberg and his wife Emily bought the home nearly a year ago from a nonprofit, after renovating and running the historical building in Willsboro that became the Champlain Valley Senior Community. With prior experience in utilizing a historical building for practical use, Schwartzberg said, The Vilas Home was the perfect project for them. The goal is to provide the area with the memory care for individuals who don't necessarily belong in a nursing home yet. A former school, the bedrooms were dorm-style with shared bathrooms. When finished, he said each of the 42 rooms will be expanded to include their own bathroom. In addition to the existing rooms, the 60,000 sq. ft. addition will include 70 additional modern rooms. Over 34 staff members will be retained, with 3 of them having over 20 years of experience in the building. Schwartzberg also plans on adding 50 new permanent jobs when the home is finished, with a payroll more than $2 million a year. "We're going to have a memory care neighborhood as we have in Willsboro. [There's] only one 20-bed memory care neighborhood in all of Clinton County currently," he said. "It's sort of something that really isn't met here, and something that's really needed." Through what he calls "enhanced assisted living" they hope to provide a place for Plattsburgh residents to feel comfortable. As opposed to a more industrial hospital setting, he said The Vilas Home has character - something that will help their patients feel at home as they age. Since not all those with memory care needs have incontinence or other nursing needs, he said it is important to create a space for those individuals locally. "I don't think people like a cookie-cutter. I think they like having a sense of place, sense of history. They definitely like the building to be modern - they're not looking to do stairs or anything like that - but I think people will choose to be part of something that has historical significance to the area versus something brand new." Schwartzberg said the bidding will begin later this year, with construction breaking ground in Spring 2021. The key to renovating properties like this - which is on the National Register of Historic Places - is not to take away from the history of the building, but rather to enhance what is already there. "When the building was available, and knowing that The Vilas Home has been [part] of the fabric of the city for 130 years, [I] think the board knew that it needs a skilled operator to modernize it, make it competitive but also make it so that people can age in place. It just sort of fits. It was the right thing to do with the right property." For more information, feel free to email Eli Schwartzberg at eli@champlainassistedliving.com or call (518) 334-6868. You can also visit www.ChamplainAssistedLiving.com or www.SamuelFVilasHome.com.

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Samuel F. Vilas Home to expand under new ownership

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