A family enjoyed their rustic mountain retreat for nearly a decade before deciding it was finally time address its issues while preserving its quirks.

CA couple ready for their next chapter spotted a listing for a crumbling, ca-1899 Gilded-Age relic on the “Cheap Old Houses” social media feed. On a whim, they went to see it. The rest is history…and the beginning of a love story. The house is an exuberant blend of Queen Anne and early English revival influences: wraparound veranda, romantic turrets, crenelations and stone arches. Inside, it’s a time capsule of original woodwork, plaster, and period finishes—now imperiled by roof leaks, masonry failure, and decades of deferred maintenance.
As soon as they signed the contract to purchase the property, the clients reached out to Worth Preserving, Eager to approach this rehabilitation as stewards, they brought us in at the very beginning to shape a phased preservation strategy—first addressing critical envelope and systems work while planning a sensitive re-fit of kitchen and baths and the conversion of the vaulted attic into a primary suite. Later phases will build toward restoring finishes throughout and adapting the carriage house loft for future rental use.
We’re excited to partner with Keira Ritter Design Co. on this project in Schenectady’s Union Triangle Historic District. Together we’re developing a roadmap that aligns urgent stabilization with long-term vision, taking advantage of historic rehabilitation tax credits and renewable energy opportunities to create a beautiful, 21st-century home.

Twilight Park is a magical, Brigadoon-like community clustered on the wooded slopes of the Catskill Mountains. Bearloga, one of the park’s earliest cottages, embodies the original late-19th-century vision of this place as a retreat for city dwellers seeking health, inspiration, and a closer connection to nature. 

Bearloga's 21st-century owners seek to preserve all of its rustic, cozy charm—from the golden-birch staircase to distinctive hemlock-log siding—while addressing structural issues, integrating modern systems, making sense of rambling additions, and inviting connection between the interior and the sublime Catskills landscape.
 
In 2025, Worth Preserving partnered with Keira Ritter Design Co. and the homeowners to document Bearloga’s character-defining features and plan a phased rehabilitation that carefully preserves the textures, patina, and spirit that have defined Bearloga—and Twilight Park itself—for more than a century

Photos by Lisa Vollmer