Transforming the Neumann Residence
SARATOGA SPRINGS — An historic home for retired priests will soon be welcoming active seniors 55 and older who are seeking an upscale, independent lifestyle.
The former St. John Neumann Residence, adjacent to St. Clement’s Church at 233 Lake Avenue, is nearing completion of its transformation into The Grove at Neumann, a luxury residential community featuring 76 apartment homes.
The Grove was the brainchild of developer Sonny Bonacio and financial partner, Mark Haworth. They took the 99-year old building on 11.2 acres that had been sitting on the market for over seven years and poured their vision into it, investing in serious asbestos abatement and restoring original pieces such as doors and hardware.
“I’m a historian by training,” said Haworth, “and interested in old things. I treasure them, and we worked hard with the city to protect as much of the history as possible.”
The chapel ceiling and original casement windows are beautifully complete but for the stained glass, which Bonacio says was gone long before he purchased the property. “We’re respecting the chapel and repurposing it as a gathering community space with a computer area and business center with WiFi,” he said.
Upwards of 400 people worked on the project, sometimes as many as 94 a day. Nearly 30 units have already been rented, and residents can begin moving in toward the end of October.
“We’re very pleased that we could save the building,” said Bonacio, “especially given all the asbestos issues. It’s been updated to 2015 insulation code, there’s forced air heat and air conditioning, triple the normal sound insulation between floors, four elevators, and all high-end specs for the Saratoga Springs resident.”
Amenities include an indoor pool, fitness center, on-site Café to Go, concierge and shuttle services, 24/7 emergency maintenance, maintenance-free living, stainless steel kitchen appliances, granite countertops, glass cooktop stoves, a full size washer and dryer in each apartment, community gardens, a game room, movie theater, saloon, hair salon, dry cleaning services, an activities director, and a library with original doors that overlooks the great room in the chapel. Some units have gas fireplaces. Pets are welcome. For more information, call 518-729-8705 or visit TheGroveAtNeumann.com.