ELLICOTTVILLE — The village of Ellicottville and the Allegany County Tourism and Culture department have been awarded a combined $1.5 million in grant funding for infrastructure projects, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Wednesday.

In Ellicottville, a $1 million grant will support infrastructure improvements, such as utility upgrades, site preparation and streetscape enhancements for 1-7 Washington St. — the 1887 Building — in the heart of the village.

Mayor John Burrell said the village is very pleased with the announcement. Each county had the opportunity to apply for the grants, he said, and when the village found out about the program, they put a presentation together for Cattaraugus County officials.

“We took a developer with us and said we think we have a shot at this,” he said. “(The village) would do the application fee and all the heavy lifting. And the county legislature supported us unanimously.”

The infrastructure upgrades are key to the village’s plan to adaptively reuse this historically significant building from 1887 into a mixed-use development that will provide 15 workforce housing units and commercial space to support local businesses, Burrell said.

“If you had fewer than 10 proposed units, it was for $500,000, and if you have over 10, it’s $1 million,” the mayor explained. “It’s right in our square, so it’s very important.”

When the village was founded as the Cattaraugus County seat, the intersection of Jefferson and Washington streets was designed as a public square with the school on the southeast corner, the first church on the southwest corner, the county center on the northwest corner and the county jail on the northeast corner, Burrell said.

The 1887 Building was the third school building to stand on the Public Square. Constructed in 1887–88, the current building stands on the foundation stones taken from the old county jail that used to be where the current Ellicottville post office is located. Since Ellicottville was no longer the county seat, the county jail was disassembled and the stones were carried across the street to the new building.

The 1887 Building is a handsome example of Romanesque Revival architecture, the only civic structure in the village built in this style. Visitors tend to be drawn to the building because of its unique style with a rounded archway over the recessed front entrance and the heavy stone detailing around the windows and doorways.

Notable features include the rounded archway over the recessed front entrance and the stone detailing around the windows and doorways. After it ceased to function as a school in 1978, concerned citizens avoided the potential demolition of this important landmark by purchasing the building. It then housed rental spaces, the public library and a gymnasium for public use until purchased by a Canadian. It has sat vacant for about 15 years.

In the new plans for the building, Burrell said the 15 workforce housing units would have a mix of studios and one-bedroom apartments, and two commercial spaces would be available on the ground floor.

According to Cattaraugus County property records, the building is currently owned by 7 Washington Street, LLC, which acquired the building in 2014 from 1887 Holdings Inc. The 8,700-square-foot building is assessed at $340,500.

IN ALLEGANY COUNTY, a $500,000 grant will support the Gateway to the Western NY Wilds project. Enhancements include a 157,000-gallon tank and the extension of a 12-inch water main on the County’s S-Curves property located off Interstate 86 Exit 30 in Friendship.

These upgrades will support the future development of a travel center featuring a hotel, gas station, restaurant and cultural center at the Gateway site adjacent to the S-Curves site. The project intends to alleviate concerns about the water in the area being contaminated with arsenic.

First proposed in the mid-2000s to get water to a water park destination in Belvidere, original efforts to create a water district to handle the line were thwarted by the Office of the State Comptroller as financially unfeasible.

In 2012, legislators bonded $3.5 million for the line, and more recently, a public benefit corporation was established to manage the system. Those funds were enough to build the line and purchase all of the surrounding property at the truck stop site at the corner of Route 19 and County Route 20, near the interchange with Interstate 86. Primary construction was completed in 2019, but right-of-way issues for a small stretch stalled the final work until early 2020.

These project grant funds are part of more than $36 million awarded to 48 projects across New York state through the County Infrastructure Grant Program. First launched in November 2024 and administered by Empire State Development, the program awards grants to support small- and medium-sized county-led infrastructure projects.

“I know firsthand how critical infrastructure is in order to uplift communities and bring families and loved ones together,” Hochul said. “From my early days on a Town Board to serving as Erie County Clerk and in Congress, I’ve seen how investments like these can breathe new life into neighborhoods, drive housing growth, support vibrant downtowns and bring new energy to local economies. We’re putting local priorities front and center as we build a stronger New York.”