Northern Forest Center’s Park Street project to prove what’s possible in the Adirondacks

On a warm Thursday in early September, there was a flurry of activity at 179 Park St. in Tupper Lake, New York. Crews were working on finishing nine new middle-market apartments — painting as well as installing flooring and siding.

“These are lovely, modest apartments,” said Adirondack Program Director Leslie Karasin who has managed the project. “It’s a kind of housing that there isn’t much of in the community. It’s an underserved need, and it’s exciting that we’re on the verge of making it happen here in the Adirondacks.”

The Northern Forest Center purchased the property in 2022 and had hoped to rehab the existing structure. Unfortunately, it was not salvageable after the building was condemned following extensive water damage during winter 2023. After demolition of the old building, a new foundation was built in spring 2025.

Save the date

Now, the finish line is in sight. Come celebrate with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 24, at 179 Park St. in Tupper Lake!

Work in Tupper Lake

“We took this project on because it was an opportunity to enhance one of the primary gateways into the village of Tupper Lake while also creating much-needed, beautiful rental housing that is walkable to jobs, shops, and the school,” Karasin said. “We are thrilled to invite the community to celebrate the realization of this dream with us in a few weeks.”

The Center’s $4.5 million investment in 179 Park St. (the former Plaza Hotel) and 185 Park St. is part of a larger revitalization effort in Tupper Lake to help turn the narrative to rural opportunity and economic prosperity.

The Center’s project is central to Tupper Lake’s strategy to strengthen its position as a vibrant community for year-round residents and a four-season destination for visitors, particularly in its identified community need for housing and enhancement of the Uptown District.

The much-needed housing project used a “wood-first” approach through its design and construction. From locally milled pine siding to wood-based insulation manufactured in Maine to the novel use of a form of mass timber called cross-laminated timbers (CLT), the project looked for every available opportunity to support the local forest economy and utilize renewable resources.

Attracting New Residents Strategy

The Tupper Lake project is part of the Center’s broader Attracting New Residents strategy in the Adirondacks. It is the first of a series of planned investments strengthening housing in Adirondack communities. A historic rehabilitation is planned at Hale House and Law Library in Elizabethtown. The Center is also providing pre-development technical assistance to eight new housing project opportunities spread out across four Adirondack counties with support from a Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Smart Growth grant.

Other projects around the Northern Forest

The Center has a goal to create 100 units of housing among 10 Northern Forest communities over 10 years. With the completion of the Park Street project, the Center will have 49 units in service. It has successfully developed new housing in historic buildings in Bethel and Millinocket, Maine; Lancaster, New Hampshire; and St. Johnsbury, Vermont. It is also building Timber Way, an innovative 24-unit housing development in Greenville, Maine, that is designed to be replicable across the region.

This project is funded in part by the Empire State Development, New York Department of State and New York State Homes and Community Renewal program.