The motel building that was built in the 1950s to house guests at the Lagoon Manor resort was demolished in 2006, but it’s taken this long for a new structure to be planned and approved. Designed by Michael Phinney, the new building would in all likelihood be more to the taste of the owner of the estate that was replaced by the resort, Bishop E.M. Stires.

The 3-unit townhouse structure, which was designed to evoke one large Adirondack Great Camp, reminiscent of those built by William West Durant in the late 19th century, was approved by the Bolton Town Board at its April meeting.

Michael Phinney’s firm, the Saratoga-based Phinney Design Group, has received numerous awards, most recently the 2013 Adirondack Park Excellence in Design award, which was presented at the annual Adirondack Park Local Government Day Conference in Lake Placid on April 25.

The Phinney Design Group was honored for the design of the Bio Building at The Wild Center (also known as Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks) in Tupper Lake.

Intended to showcase buildings that enhance the sustainability and livability of communities within the Adirondack Park, the Adirondack Park Excellence in Design competition is judged by a panel of staff members from the New York Department of State’s Division of Local Government.

According to Stephanie Ratcliffe, the executive director of The Wild Center, “Phinney Design Group embraced our goals of building as green as possible and offered additional green solutions that we had not thought about. In addition to being the architect for the project and helping us get our building open, they have continued to be an advocate for our cause, and we are thrilled that they received this award in recognition of the innovative design features. The dramatic curved green roof on the Bio Building is one of my favorite features on our campus. It welcomes visitors as they drive in and we hope helps open up new creative thinking about green building.”

“It is an honor that the Bio Building is being recognized for its innovative design, green technologies, and fit into the landscape. We are happy to be a part of the team that made the project a reality,” said Michael Phinney.