<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3OXQrh_1Fa4Jear00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3OXQrh_1Fa4Jear00" width="1280" height="871" ></figure><p>Visitors to Adirondack Architectural Salvage are likely to be greeted by its director Christine Bush or one of the volunteers, waiting to enthusiastically tell you about their favorite finds. They may just offer you a freshly baked treat. </p><p>The salvage warehouse, a project of Adirondack Architectural Heritage (AARCH) that launched this summer, sits off Interstate 87 at the former Pray’s Family Farm Market in Keeseville. Glimpses of the old farm market are visible throughout the space — the sunlight streaming through the greenhouse roof and the old produce coolers that now house hardware. </p><p>Adirondack Architectural Salvage fills a unique niche in the North Country. It’s not a thrift store or antique shop. It’s the place to go to find a 19th-century door, vintage sinks, windowpanes filled with wavy glass, bannisters and more. </p><h2>Keeping historic items in homes and out of landfills </h2><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3YD5JV_1Fa4Jear00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3YD5JV_1Fa4Jear00" width="1200" height="800" ><figcaption>The sign for Adirondack Architectural Salvage. Photo by Lincoln Riddle</figcaption></figure><p>The idea for Adirondack Architectural Salvage fits neatly into AARCH’s mission. Bush previously served as the organization’s preservation services director. She heard from contractors who work in historic restoration about the amount of items that get thrown out during reconstruction. </p><p>These comments led to a webinar that revealed interest from within the historic preservation community in a potential architectural salvage warehouse. Through grant funding, AARCH conducted a feasibility study, which was completed in 2025. </p><p>Adirondack Architectural Salvage opened its doors to the public in mid-June 2026. Since then, Bush said the store has seen a “tremendous response” from shoppers, donors and volunteers. Even those who don’t walk away with a purchase are able to connect with fellow preservation enthusiasts.</p><p>Staff and volunteers document the history of each donated item in the warehouse. Current holdings include architectural fixtures salvaged from Utica City Hall, hand-carved Canadian furniture and a restored metal weathervane nicknamed “Spitfire.”</p><p>Inventory items frequently serve as raw materials for home projects. Recent customer creations include repurposing a raw slab of native cherry into a coffee table and converting a salvaged wooden mantel into a bedroom headboard.</p><h2>Dedicated volunteers</h2><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=03rPLa_1Fa4Jear00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=03rPLa_1Fa4Jear00" width="1200" height="800" ><figcaption>From left to right: Joan Janson (volunteer), Kate Lucas (volunteer), Christine Bush (salvage warehouse director). Photo by Lincoln Riddle</figcaption></figure><p>The store’s volunteers are the soul of Adirondack Architectural Salvage. A dozen or so regulars give what time they can. Bush is eager to let them help in a way that suits their unique interests and talents. </p><p>“It’s probably the best volunteer job I’ve ever had,” said Joan Janson, who can be found at the store on weekends and Mondays. “[Bush’s] attitude on volunteers is ‘you do you.’ You do what makes you happy, what makes you sing, because that way you will want to come back.”</p><p>Janson’s excitement for the store is in born from work she’s done on her own home, and her past struggles to find items from the area with a bit of historic intrigue that could be repurposed and reused.</p><p>Kate Lucas similarly was inspired to volunteer at the store, as she is fixing up a historic home she owns in Plattsburgh. </p><p>“We’re fixing it up pretty much one scrape of paint at a time,” she said. </p><p>As part of the process, on a hunt for a specific piece of hardware, she and her husband found themselves in a salvage house in Ohio. </p><p>“I said, now that I was retired, I would work in a place like that in a heartbeat,” she said. </p><p>Lucas sees two types of shoppers coming through the store’s doors. First, customers restoring historic properties throughout the region. Second, shoppers simply trying to remodel on a budget. </p><h2>How to visit Adirondack Architectural Salvage</h2><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4ey1dx_1Fa4Jear00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4ey1dx_1Fa4Jear00" width="1200" height="800" ><figcaption>Antiques inside of the warehouse. Photo by Lincoln Riddle</figcaption></figure><p>During the regular season, Adirondack Architectural Salvage is open Fridays and Mondays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. It’s also open the third Saturday and Sunday of the month, also 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. From Oct. 1-12, Adirondack Architectural Salvage is hosting an end-of-year celebration of sorts, opening every day from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. during this time period. </p><p>As the store has no heating, it will be closing for regular business starting Oct. 13, after which it will be open by appointment only. </p><p>Looking to 2027, Bush and the team hope to expand the store’s reach, providing workshops that inspire attendees to pursue their own DIY projects. Those looking to make a donation can email salvage@arch.org. </p></div></body>

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Visitors to Adirondack Architectural Salvage are likely to be greeted by its director Christine Bush or one of the volunteers, waiting to enthusiastically tell you about their favorite finds. They may just offer you a freshly baked treat. The salvage warehouse, a project of Adirondack Architectural Heritage (AARCH) that launched...

Preserving history, reducing waste: Inside a new architectural salvage warehouse

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Visitors to Adirondack Architectural Salvage are likely to be greeted by its director Christine Bush or one of the volunteers, waiting to enthusiastically 

Preserving history, reducing waste: Inside a new architectural salvage warehouse

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