In 1897, the historic  Roycroft Campus in East Aurora, NY, was founded by noted author, lecturer and entrepreneur Elbert Hubbard. A vibrant publishing and  arts & crafts center, the campus quickly grew to over a dozen buildings. In an effort to make the campus self sufficient, the technologically advanced "Power House" was built in 1910 to provide electricity and steam heat, through underground pipes, to the entire campus. The upper floor of the building was used by a variety of  groups including the Roycroft Orchestra and Drama Club.

In later years, the building was sold and converted into a church, and then office space, and even apartments. In 1997, a devastating fire heavily damaged the building and in 2004 much of the remaining structure collapsed during a harsh winter. Only about 5% of the original structure remained.

A major component of the master plan to "re-coordinate" the original Roycroft Campus, Flynn Battaglia Architects designed and oversaw the reconstruction of the historic Power House by Resetarits Construction. The most challenging part of the restoration process was the near total lack of drawings and photographs of the original interior space.  

The new building captures the sense and spirit of the original structure by using the remaining original walls and graphic depictions of the generators and steam turbines as a mosaic inlaid on the floor, to pay homage to the technology of a by gone era. Two large vintage photo murals visually transport visitors back 100 years. Other original pieces were salvaged from the fire and restored, including an original interior door and some of the terra cotta roofing tiles.

The beautifully restored building is now used as an educational and meeting center and houses Roycroft Campus offices. To see more of this historic project, go here.