City and Fenton History Center officials during a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new handicap-accessible entrance to the Fenton History Center, located at 67 Washington St., Jamestown. P-J photo by Dennis Phillips

Preserving the historic nature of the Fenton Mansion, which was constructed in 1863, was a key component of the project done this summer to install a handicap-accessible entrance.

On Thursday, city and Fenton History Center officials gathered for a ribbon cutting ceremony recognizing the work that was done to install the handicap-accessible entrance to the historic building. Sam Teresi, Jamestown mayor, said the project, which cost around $100,000, was funded through the federal Community Development Block Grant program. Along with the new ramp entrance, a new boiler for the facility was installed that will operate the entrance’s heated sidewalk. Teresi thanked Jeff Lehman, city public works director, and Vince DeJoy, former city development director, for their work on the project.

Noah Goodling, Fenton executive director, thanked Empire Development for the work they did on the project.

He said that access to the historic Fenton Mansion is important to the mission of the Fenton Historical Society.

“This project is so important. Accessibility is a cornerstone of what we do here,” he said.

Marie Carrubba, Jamestown City Council president and Southwestern Independent Living Center executive director, said the new handicap-accessible entrance is a fine example of how historic buildings can be retrofitted to provide access to everybody.

“This (project) shows that design and accessibility can fit in with historic buildings,” she said.