SARANAC LAKE — Historic Saranac Lake announced on Tuesday that there will be a groundbreaking ceremony on Aug. 1, marking the beginning of construction at the Trudeau Building.

The historic former home and medical office of Dr. E. L. Trudeau will undergo complete rehabilitation for expansion of Historic Saranac Lake’s museum at the neighboring Saranac Laboratory.

The groundbreaking ceremony, at 4 p.m., will include representatives from the firm leading construction, Bishop Beaudry Construction of Schenectady. The architectural team, Kim and Jack Alvarez of Landmark Consulting in Albany, will also be present along with members of Historic Saranac Lake’s Board of Directors and staff.

Members of Historic Saranac Lake and anyone who has contributed to support the project with a gift of any size are invited to attend the groundbreaking.

“It’s been an amazing group effort,” said Executive Director Amy Catania. “About 300 individuals, businesses, foundations, and government agencies have supported the project with gifts and grants. We are so grateful for everyone’s support, and now we are ready to get it done!”

Following the groundbreaking ceremony, a group photo will be taken.

Historic Saranac Lake has raised over $5 million to support the acquisition of the building, architectural design, improvements at the neighboring Saranac Laboratory Museum, and construction. Funds have come in the form of state and federal grants, historic preservation tax credits, as well as private support and foundation grants.

Significant work will be performed inside and out to bring the historic building back to life and into a new use as a museum and research library. Handicap accessibility and fire suppression will be installed. The blue vinyl siding will be removed and replaced with wood clapboards painted the original dark red. Site improvements will integrate the Trudeau Building with the neighboring Saranac Laboratory Museum to create one unified museum campus presenting the history of the Saranac Lake region.

“Thanks to such generous participation by so many, the expanded museum is going to be a incredible community asset,” said Catania.

As construction begins, HSL is launching a second phase of their fundraising campaign, to support the new exhibits, add a handicap lift to the laboratory, and build the endowment to support ongoing operations.

A $50,000 grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services has supported schematic design of the new exhibits, which explore Saranac Lake’s unique history as a tuberculosis health resort and present the broader history of the Saranac Lake region.

Construction is stated to be complete by the end of 2024. The new museum campus is tentatively scheduled to open the following year.