Preservation Foundation Sells Restored Property on Phila Street

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation recently announced that it sold the 1851 Alexander A. Patterson House at 65 Phila Street to Cecelia (CeCe) Bette.

In 2024, the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation completed the rehabilitation of the historic property that had been long neglected. After years of advocating against demolition and working with the city to enforce property maintenance codes, the Foundation acquired the building in May 2021 with the assistance of Mark Haworth, a long-time member of the Foundation. The Foundation undertook a comprehensive rehabilitation, including environmental remediation, structural stabilization, and exterior restoration.

Since listing the property in 2024, the Foundation had sought a buyer who would complete the interior of the home and be a good steward for years to come. Upon returning from a job in England, Cecelia Bette knew she wanted to set down roots in Saratoga. 

“When 65 Phila became available, it was clear to me that it was not only a great property in a great location but the perfect opportunity to put my talents to work,” Bette said in a news release.  “I recognized the tremendous job the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation had done rehabilitating the property and knew I could pick up where they left off.”

As the granddaughter of Michael Bette, founder of Albany-based BBL Construction, Cecelia has been surrounded by construction and historic preservation from a young age. Now working as a licensed associate broker at First Columbia and Bette & Cring, Bette was looking to embark on her own project. “I am thrilled to work with the Foundation and do my part in preserving some of Saratoga’s history,” she said. 

More than four years after purchasing the property, the Foundation’s Executive Director Samantha Bosshart was thrilled to see the house in good hands. “There were times when I thought that 65, and its neighbor, 69 Phila Street, would be lost,” Bosshart said. “I’m so excited to have CeCe finish what took a village to do to get 65 Phila Street to this point. The Foundation is so fortunate to have so many who believed in the project. Welcome to the neighborhood, CeCe!”