River Architects Receives 2026 AIA New York State Excelsior Award for The Bank Lofts
River Architects is honored to announce that The Bank Lofts in Richfield Springs, New York, has received a 2026 AIA New York State Excelsior Award Merit Award for Historic Preservation. The award was presented at the 2026 Excelsior & Professional Service Awards ceremony in Albany, NY, where River Architects principal Juhee Lee-Hartford and project manager Di W. George accepted the recognition on behalf of the project team.
Presented annually by AIA New York State, the Excelsior Awards celebrate publicly funded projects that demonstrate design excellence, community impact, and responsible stewardship of resources across New York State. The program recognizes work that embodies the principles of “Firmness, Commodity, and Delight” through thoughtful, context-driven design.
Originally constructed in 1882 as the First National Bank of Richfield Springs, The Bank Lofts transformed a long-vacant historic building into a vibrant mixed-use residential project that supports downtown revitalization while preserving the building’s architectural character and cultural history. The adaptive reuse project introduced nine energy-efficient residential apartments and ground-floor commercial space while restoring significant historic features throughout the building.
Designed to Passive House principles and certified under the Phius CORE REVIVE 2021 standard, the project demonstrates how historic preservation and high-performance sustainable design can work together to support resilient rural communities.
River Architects is grateful to AIA New York State for this recognition and extends sincere thanks to the clients, collaborators, consultants, contractors, and community partners whose dedication made the project possible.
Photo of Juhee Lee-Hartford and Di W. George accepting the 2026 AIA New York State Excelsior Award in Albany, NY by Eddie Quinn Photography.
Photo of The Bank Lofts building by Pamela Cook.