SARATOGA SPRINGS — In late December, Saratoga Performing Arts Center was awarded $2 million in funding through the Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) Initiative with a $1. 5 million grant from Empire State Development (ESD) and $500,000 from New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.
The news was shared by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo as part of the 2019 REDC Awards, which granted $761 million in funds throughout New York State.
SPAC’s awarded funds have been allocated to rehabilitate the Roosevelt II Bathhouse, an 18,000 square foot space that has been vacant since the 1980s and mirrors the Roosevelt Baths & Spa, operated by the Gideon Putnam Resort. In collaboration with the Saratoga Spa State Park and as part of SPAC’s mission to establish the venue as a unique international cultural destination, the project will provide a full-functioning year-round creative and maker space where art across multiple disciplines will flourish.
“SPAC’s vision for the future includes an expansion of programming that will include the visual arts, the culinary arts, theater, and health and wellness in cooperation with COESA -- in addition to our vibrant performing arts season. This new year-round space will restore a historic Park building that has been abandoned for decades, creating a community hub that will celebrate art in all its forms, while also providing vital learning and rehearsal spaces,” said Elizabeth Sobol, SPAC’s President & CEO, in a statement.
Designed to expand opportunities for the community with educational, creative and cultural enrichment programming, the restored building will feature a black box theater, an art gallery, a rehearsal and learning space, and a teaching kitchen that will be operated by SPAC in collaboration with the Saratoga Spa State Park. COESA is slated to utilize 2,700 square feet of the building to provide retreat experiences and classes with offerings that include personal well-being, leadership, meditation, professional wellness training, and work-life balance.
This upcoming renovation follows Governor Cuomo’s announcement of the $9.5 Million visitor services improvement project at SPAC, which is slated to be unveiled in the spring of 2020. These projects follow the 2019 renovation of the amphitheater ramps, made possible by a $1.75 million allocation from NYS Parks. The projects are all part of SPAC’s mission to rejuvenate its physical campus for future generations.
