Saugerties church to become office space

A new office space is planned for the former Old Baptist Church, most recently the Emmanuel Christian Church, on Partition Street in Saugerties. Named 32 Partition Street, the space will include 28 offices on three floors.

Dara and Jeremy Ellenbogen are behind the project. They also created Kingston’s Seven21 Media Center, another office building focused on media companies, in 2006. 

“It seemed like the opportunity was right to make an investment in my community and really help other entrepreneurs have a place where they can find affordable space with like-minded professionals in the village of Saugerties, which has so much to offer with shops, restaurants, and a wonderful, supportive network of individuals,” said Dara Ellenbogen, who also owns Ascent Business Capital and co-owns Ellenbogen Creative Media with her husband. 

The Saugerties office space will be different from Seven21 Media Center. For starters, it won’t target a specific niche of professionals like the Kingston location, but instead have a broader set-up with conference rooms and break areas that will accommodate a more diverse group of possible tenants. The 19^th-century church setting is also distinct. Ellenbogen plans to blend old and new to create a historic yet modern feel for the space. 

Those who work at 32 Partition will have access to Seven21, and vice versa. 

Ellenbogen believes that the new 14,000-square-foot working space will fill a gap that Saugerties is missing right now, addressing how “there is no centralized place for offices or professional workspaces.” 

While the main structure will be maintained, the attached schoolhouse had to be demolished to create the parking space required by the Village of Saugerties. 

“It wasn’t that I always looked at the church and thought this would be a great thing,” said Ellenbogen. “The property came on the market and the listing price on the property continued to drop precipitously … we went and we looked at it and thought it would be amazing because we can preserve the old details and create a fantastic amenity here for the community.” 

The offices will start at $375 a month and tenants will receive amenities, including planned partnerships with local businesses for things like lunch specials and happy hours. 

Ellenbogen is planning on opening 32 Partition on June 1. The construction team is currently working on framing inside and continuing the exterior demolition to make way for the parking lot. Despite a lack of floor plans for the private office spaces at this time, tenants have already begun to put down deposits.

“I never would have thought that some people would have rented before the floor plans were out there, but it’s just been such a fantastic response,” said Ellenbogen. 

To learn more about the space, visit https://www.facebook.com/32Partition.