By R.J. DeLuke
The Washington, a structure being built by Bonacio
Construction at 422 Broadway in Saratoga
Springs, between Lillian’s and The Cantina restaurants,
should be completed by August, with
commercial tenants ready to occupy the first floor.
An update on the project was given by Sonny Bonacio
at a Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce
event last month in Bonacio’s 18 Division St. offices.
The structure is a 5,200-square-foot mixed-use
building that will have 14 luxury apartment, as well
as retail and commercial office space. It had been
a parking lot for many years, but was the site of
an F.W. Woolworth department store that burned
during a block fire in January of 1957. Prior to that,
a Masonic temple occupied the space.
Northshire Books is the main commercial tenant, which will occupy 10,500 square feet of space on the first and second floors of the front section of the building, Bonacio said. Kilwins, an ice cream and candy store, will occupy a smaller section of the first-floor commercial space. Esthetiques, a spa and skin care boutique on Broadway is slated to move into space on the second floor.
Of the 14 apartments, seven had been rented, he noted. “Urban-core living demand continues to be strong” in Saratoga, Bonacio said.
On the roof will be sitting areas that can have furniture and perhaps even ovens. Bonacio said plans haven’t been finalized yet as to whether tenants will have individual spaces, or the layout will be more wide open, leaning toward communal use. There will also be a stairway in the rear of the building allowing direct access to Putnam Street and areas like the Saratoga Springs Public Library.
Bonacio said Northshire is hoping to be ready to move in toward the beginning of August and Kilwins won’t be far behind.
Bonacio Construction is also the builder of the building on Railroad Place that will house movie theaters run by Bow Tie Cinemas. There is other commercial space in the three-story structure. Bow Tie will operate an 11-screen, stadium seated, all-digital cinema within a three-story building. The company also took over the theaters at the Wilton Mall. Bonacio said it allows the company to have programming flexibility.
The downtown facility, he stated, will carve a place for special events like classic movies, perhaps theme movies, at times like the “art house” theaters, like the Spectrum in Albany. The movies at the mall will be geared more toward the massappeal movies.
The theaters in Bonacio’s building will be Criterion theaters, named after the Criterion that existed in New York City’s Times Square in the 1920s. Bow Tie Cinemas, family owned for four generations, owned that original theater in the Big Apple.
“They’re really super excited,” Bonacio said about the owners. “So are we.”
He said the theatres will be available to be rented for company training sessions or seminars during the day when they’re not in use. The large space will give companies an additional option in the city for such events that may require more space.
“Having an IMAX theater that seats 220 people is pretty cool,” Bonacio said.
The projects “have changed the landscape of that corridor,” he said of Railroad Place. But he noted the block of Woodlawn Avenue that includes the Bank of America, the Salvation Army and state offices is not likely to be altered.
The upper two floors of the theater building are office space. The entire third floor is already rented out. There is some space on the second floor that are still being developed. It had been hoped the project would be done in March, but there have been some delays, Bonacio said.
Market Street Center, the 196,000-square-foot building adjacent to the theater project, that houses Price Chopper on the main floor and apartments above, “has been wonderful success,” said Bonacio. He noted the Price Chopper “boutique” style store is “the first of it’s kind. They (Price Chopper) are very happy with it.”