Possibilities: Moving Forward

There's no telling what the future holds for the building at 290 Main Street. The building was built in the 19th century, endured through the 20th century, and is still standing proud in the 21st century. Over the years it has gone through many different incarnations, and will no doubt witness many more changes in the years to come.

Knowing some of the history of the building, I've considered improvements and uses for the building that I feel would help insure its continued longevity, and be in keeping with its character.

Some of these are:

Make the building more energy efficient, and use renewable energy sources, such as solar panels, in order to reduce the building's carbon footprint.

Implement drainage and infrastructure improvements to the building and lot, including a retaining wall and grading.

Make renovations to the building to make it more commercially viable, and include handicap accessibility and sidewalks.

Remove invasive plant species and replant with native species to help protect and create habitat, promote biodiversity, and beauty.

It's a great old building, and with a little TLC and some hard work it should last another hundred years.

Site improvements include a retaining wall behind the building and new drainage to control runoff from the slope in back. Improvements to the front of the building include a new bluestone walk, curbing, and a brick terrace for planters.

New Plantings feature native plants to promote biodiversity and create habitat.

This is a video of a 3D model of the building I created using SketchUp.

Today at 290

The building at 290 Main Street today houses an apartment, artist's studio, and a landscape architect's office. My apartment and art studio occupy one side of the first floor. On the other side is the old "dance hall," where they used to have the dances and movies on the weekends, and auctions. The dance hall side is currently being used for storage, but will soon be available for rent. It would be an ideal location for an antique store or gallery, or even additional studio space.

Here's a photo of my studio, and some samples of my work:

My studio

View of the Rondout Reservoir, oil/canvas, 12x24"

View of Mohonk, oil/canvas panel, 6x12"

Black Dirt Fields, oil/canvas, 10x20"

Catskill Mountains (View from Poet's Walk), oil/canvas, 12x16"

Kezia-lain Farm, oil/canvas, 9x12"

Moonbeams Preserve, oil/canvas panel, 9x12"

Frozen Pond, oil/canvas, 11x14"

Winter Field, oil/canvas, 10x20"

Winter Woods, oil/canvas, 12x9"

Painting a winter scene on location in the Catskills

Here's a link to my website: http://www.davidmunford.com/

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Restaino Design, Landscape Architects, PC, is located on the second floor. Barbara Restaino is a LEED certified landscape architect whose work focuses on green infrastructure, restoration, and promoting healthy habitat and biodiversity through the use of indigenous plant species.

She has worked on several local projects, including a stream corridor restoration project for the Chestnut Creek sponsored by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, the Sullivan County Soil and Water Conservation District and the Town of Neversink.

"Envisioned as a 'Demonstration Project,' the plan specified colorful native species of plants to create habitat for wildlife, control erosion and provide an attractive environment for Town Hall visitors and employees as well as community residents. The Chestnut Creek project continues to be a source of educational opportunities for the local Tri-Valley School whose horticultural program uses the project as an outdoor classroom."

Barbara Restaino also designed a grounds improvement plan for Grahamsville's historic Daniel Pierce Library building.

"The plan specified use of local materials where possible and included: a new fieldstone retaining wall, bluestone sidewalks, flag pole, brick base, site amenities and new plantings. The redesign contributed to the Town of Neversink winning the Sullivan Renaissance Grand Prize Award for 2001."

Recently, she provided a site plan and planting plan for the new Daniel Pierce Library and Museum Village that opened this year.

The office and design studio of Restaino Design

Plantings along the Chestnut Creek behind Neversink Town Hall

Stream corridor restoration project

Historic Daniel Pierce Library

New Daniel Pierce Library and Museum Village Site Plan

Barbara Restaino on the site of the new Daniel Pierce Library and Museum Village

Here's a link to her website: http://www.restainodesign.com/

A Work in Progress

My brother bought the building in the early 1990's, and it was pretty much a wreck then, in need of plenty of work and TLC. It's a large building and there's much that needs doing after years of neglect, and money is tight these days, so Progress has been a little slow. The first major project that needed doing after my brother bought the building was to install a new heating system and to convert some of the rooms on the first floor into a small apartment. Also, the original laid-up stone foundation was in need of repair, including new drainage.

I moved into the building in 1993, renting the newly outfitted apartment on the first floor. It's a small apartment but I have room for my art studio in the back. The first project I undertook soon after arriving was to finish sheet rocking and painting the walls and ceilings in my apartment and studio. I also insulated the crawl space underneath the studio.

A couple of summers after that we painted the building exterior and roof. The building was grey with white trim, which we liked, so we matched it using a Cape Cod style blue-grey, white trim, and chose a nice colonial blue for the doors, and red for the metal roof. We liked the red, white and blue color scheme. Next, it was time to remove the old rusty fire escape and replace the front porch which was beginning to fall down. My friend Steve helped me with this—actually, he did most of the work and I just helped him.

Since then there's been more work done on the interior, this time upstairs, as a new space on the second floor was renovated and brought up to code. Whenever possible, we try to save the original tin that covers the walls and ceilings throughout much of the building, but this large room on the second floor didn't have any tin, which made remodeling it much easier. The space currently houses a landscape architect's office.

The old building was grey with white trim.

 Lots of prep work needed to be done before painting.

Applying a primer coat to the bare wood.

Lots of priming.

Almost finished priming...

Applying the top coat, the roof is finished.

Before: old front porch and fire escape.

 After: new front porch and railings, before being painted.

Steve working on the new porch.

New paint. New porch. New era.

Tin covers many of the walls and ceilings throughout the building.

Newly renovated second story office.