St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce photo

CANTON – In 2022, TAUNY initiated an ambitious plan of improvements to its historic building in the heart of the Village of Canton. 

This work ensured that the TAUNY Center remains functional, safe, and efficient for the public and staff, while preserving the historic integrity of the building, which contributes significantly  to Canton’s National Register Historic District, said Pete Beekman, TAUNY Facilities Committee member in a press release.

Careful attention has been paid to meeting historic preservation requirements. These critical investments in building improvements totaling $332,855 to date were made possible through generous contributions from the following donors:

Stewarts Foundation, Columbia Management, SeaCom Federal Credit Union, Canton Community Fund, Rock Charitable Fund – Northern New York Community Foundation, Sweetgrass Foundation, Adirondack Architectural Heritage, Village of Canton’s New York Forward Program – Administered by Empire State Development, St. Lawrence River Valley Redevelopment Agency, New York State Council on the Arts, St. Lawrence County IDA, and various individuals.

Beekman laid out the renovation work.

Improvements began with removing multiple layers of roofing including asbestos abatement and installing a modified bitumen surface and appropriate roof drains. The work was completed by Titan Roofing, Inc at a cost of $153,600.

In 2024 the HVAC systems were upgraded to ensure our Folkstore and Exhibit Space were appropriately airconditioned. Merkley Brothers Heating & Cooling LLC completed this project at cost of $36,875.

In the fall of 2025, Barkley’s Safe & Lock installed a power door operator at the rear entrance in compliance with ADA requirements at a cost of $7,800.

During 2026 multiple projects have been completed. Continental Construction completed plaster repairs to portions of the walls in the first-floor exhibition gallery that had been damaged by water leaks and the installation and removal of exhibits. A new exhibit display system has been purchased allowing for greater flexibility for exhibit displays without impacting our plaster walls. These improvements cost $11,820.

Talis Historic Restoration has restored the original windows fronting Main Street and installed replacement windows at the rear of the building. The cost of this project was $81,095 including abatement expenses.

Colton Glass installed new Main Street entrance doors and replaced a cracked display window totaling $17,540 including abatement costs.

LaFaver’s Painting, LLC completed window repairs and exterior painting costing $24,516.

Remaining projects include exterior masonry work ($55,500), purchases of custom storm windows to cover the Main Street windows ($27,900, repairs to the basement workshop floor ($12,500) and replacement of four Main Street awnings $10,000).

Fundraising for these projects continues.

As a downtown anchor, TAUNY looks forward to bringing thousands of local and regional visitors to the community for live music performances, workshops, and exhibits. The public is invited to stop by TAUNY, 53 Main St., to check out the improvements.

For program offerings what’s available in the Folkstore, visit tauny.org.