The Village of Lakewood recently was awarded a $13,400 grant from the Preservation League of New York State to study the Village Hall. Photo by Michael Zabrodsky

LAKEWOOD — Long-term preservation of the Lakewood Village Hall began Thursday.

The village recently was awarded a $13,400 grant from the Preservation League of New York State to study the building.

According to Village Historic Preservation Committee Chairman Ted McCague, in 2014 the village began the comprhensive planning process for long-term preservation of the village’s historic building. He added that it was given the highest priority.

“Today, we begin to execute on this important step in our implementation strategy,” McCague added.

According to the league’s website, preservenys.org, the hall was constructed in 1915 to serve as the first established location for the volunteer Lakewood Hose Company. Over the course of its more than 100 years of continuous operation, the building also functioned as a police station, history museum, community center, and Lakewood’s Village Court.

The village is planning for the building’s next generation of service. Clinton Brown Company Architecture, based in Buffalo, will prepare the Historic Structure Report. The Village will use this Report for planning and funding capital improvement that will retain its historic character and improve its function for Village staff and residents.

New York State Assemblyman Andy Goodell, R-Jamestown said the project has three components. The first, Goodell said, is to evaluate the building’s structual integrity. The second is to evaluate what should be done to maintain its historic character.

League representative Janna Rudler added that the third component is a list to be made prioritizing future maintenance and preservation, and any rehabilitation and renovations that need to be completed.

“Thanks for the New York State Preservation League, of course and what they’re enabling us to do to this 100-plus year old building,” said Mayor Randy Holcomb.

According to lakewoodny.com, The Fire Department was crucial to formation of the village, The village hall was first built in 1915 and donated by James Ward Packard, of the Packard Motor Car Company, as a new state-of-the-art fire station for the newly-formed Lakewood Hose Company.

Goodell said that Packard realized at the time that one of the most important things that was needed for the municipality was new firehouse.

“And of course, back then, you know, fire prevention and control where it’s an evolving science. And so this was the original, the original Lakewood Municipal Building, where there are now windows were originally doors for the fire department. And so the building we’re standing in here that we’re working on with a preservation grant was designed and built with local architects as a firehouse for the developing village of Lakewood,” Goodell said.