BATH, N.Y. (WENY) -- The former Dana Lyon school building in Downtown Bath is one step closer to a new chapter. That's because the Providence Housing Development Corporation reached an agreement to purchase the building from the Save the Lyon Commission.

“Transforming the Dana Lyon School building in a way that preserves its historic integrity has been our goal from the inception of our organization,” said Walt Longwell of the Save the Lyon Commission, which was developed to preserve the facility. “We are grateful to Providence, the Village of Bath, Steuben County, our membership and legal representation, and the Steuben County IDA for their work to create this unique solution that honors the generosity of the Davenport family and helps to meet housing needs of our community.”

Providence Housing will being working to redevelop the building, located on the corner of Liberty and Washington Street, into apartments and a shared community space. According to the Steuben County IDA, the project aims to bring affordable housing to the area, and developers plan to do so by taking advantage of tax credits that will reduce the cost of the transformation, thus reducing the cost passed on to renters.

Moving forward, a market study is currently underway to determine what type of housing is most needed in the Village of Bath -- and that study is being conducted by Providence Housing.

The project will also feature a community arts center and event space that would be available to rent.

To learn more about the project, or to be added to the email update list, contact Amber Wilk at [email protected]