Play ADK Executive Director Rob Carr stands beside the future home for a children’s museum in January 2019. Play ADK recently finalized the purchase of this building, the former Branch and Callanan warehouse on Depot Street, Saranac Lake. (Enterprise photo — Jesse Adcock)

SARANAC LAKE — Play ADK has purchased the former Branch and Callanan warehouse on Depot Street across from the train station. The space is to be transformed into a children’s museum and family resource center.

Play ADK Board of Trustees co-Chair Beverly Bridger said now the nonprofit is looking to keep its momentum going.

“This is a major milestone for Play ADK, but the true work of bringing this project to life is just getting underway,” she said. “A project of this scale requires broad support, and we’re grateful to the community for helping us get this far.”

Play ADK purchased the property from HES Ventures.

“We are incredibly excited to be part of Play ADK’s vision for the Depot Street property,” said HES Ventures owner Tim Reilly of Saranac Lake. “The creation of the children’s museum is not just transformational but will be equally or more historic than the Branch and Callanan’s construction and lumber businesses that occupied the property for over a century.”

The 10,000-square-foot warehouse will be expanded to 15,000 square feet to accommodate a children’s museum and family resource center. The museum will serve as an interactive, kid- and family-focused play center, with exhibits to engage children in active and imaginative play. The resource center will provide parents with essential family services including parenting classes, peer support groups and WIC (the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children).

Reilly has plans to turn the former HomEnergy office building into apartments and may build a new structure where the fuel and heating company’s propane tanks once stood.

Also in the Depot Street area there are plans for a 65-unit mixed-income housing complex and a multi-use recreational path on the former railroad connecting Lake Placid, Saranac Lake and Tupper Lake.

The purchase of the warehouse was made possible by a grant from the Cloudsplitter Foundation, contributions from donors in the community, local foundations, the state Downtown Revitalization Initiative and the North Country Regional Economic Development Council.

As rehabilitation of the Depot Street warehouse gets underway, Play ADK has established a temporary storefront presence downtown at 84 Main St. As COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, Play ADK plans to host small play exhibits and other family-focused programming there.

“Our storefront space gives us an opportunity to engage with the community and test out some of our exhibit ideas with kids and families,” Play ADK Executive Director Rob Carr said. “More importantly, we want to be visible and provide people with a chance to meet our team, ask questions and share ideas.”

Donations to bring the play museum project to completion can be given by visiting playadk.org or contacting Carr at robcarr@playadk.org or 518-304-7440.