Deep Dive: Cazenovia Bath House

Located at the end of Albany Street, this park opens up directly onto Cazenovia Lake providing access for swimming and other recreational activities. Due to its location in Central New York the Bath House is primarily used in the summer.

The history of the site is interesting in that it is the former site of the Ten Eyck Mansion which was a 19th century estate (akin to the adjacent Brewster Inn) which was removed in the early 20th century. Which left a wonderful stone carriage house building behind. The Village of Cazenovia took over this property and built a pier for swimming as well as a bandstand for concerts in the 1930’s. In the late 1990’s Teitsch-Kent-Fay Architects, P.C. was hired to design a bathing facility to support the park’s activities.


The prominence of the Bath House required careful attention to detail. The design cues were taken from the remains of the former Ten Eyck estate which include the above mentioned stone carriage house (Carpenter’s Barn), and a dressed stone wall along the north and east edges of the property. The materials selected are local stone to closely match the existing stone elements, heavy timber roofing, and a sloped asphalt shingled roof to harmonize with Carpenter’s Barn.

The programmatic function of the facility is to provide male and female facilities. This meant that the design needed to accommodate two separate and discrete entrances. Bob and Dan accomplished this by organizing the two facilities around a central mechanical space, topped with a ventilation cupola. The building was oriented diagonally on the site such that each entrance is easy to access from the swimming area, as well as from the open green.

The pyramid shaped hipped roof extends beyond the face of the exterior walls and creates roofed areas leading into the facilities. These canopy areas provide places of protection if the weather turns rainy, and are adjacent to the entry drive for patrons to wait if they are being picked up. The large overhang is broken up on the side walls of the bathhouse by a trellis which allows light to enter through the clerestory windows, while maintaining the privacy requirements that one wants while they are using the restroom.

The building is single story structure, with a prominent roof shape and strong horizontal lines, to ensure that it does not compete with the other structures in the park, as well as to not unduly block the view of the lake from the village. The stonework is detailed with arches over the entrances to reflect some of the historic elements still present on the site. The exterior trim elements are also reflective of the trim on Carpenter’s Barn.

Inside, each of the facilities is a high volume space, with a sloped timber plank ceiling. The clerestory windows provide ample natural light, and the cupola provides passive ventilation, supplementing the mechanical exhaust system. The wall finishes are epoxy coated concrete blocks, with sealed concrete floors to provide durable finishes to withstand the use as well as to be able to easily withstand the winter months.

This building was completed in the fall of 2000 and has been able to stand the test of time with the help of excellent maintenance from the Village team. The Bathhouse provides the support services necessary for the many programs offered in Lakeland Park throughout the year, but particularly during our all too brief summer seasons. Teitsch-Kent-Fay Architects, P.C. is very proud to have been able to assist our home Village with this project.