welcome to electric house
Electric House is the newest sustainability project from North River, the longstanding local architecture and design build firm which will now operate its flagship office and showroom presenting net zero energy design in this much-loved 1840s brick storefront building in the center of the historic hamlet of Stone Ridge, NY.
This local gem was purchased and renovated from top to bottom in 2023 by North River, a visionary design build group that has been pushing the sustainable edge of their local market for nearly forty years, and have been building exclusively all-electric, net zero energy buildings in the region for the last decade.
North River plans to showcase Electric House as a way to educate clients and the general public about the dramatic recent change in the industry, where electrification of all new homes has become a cost savings, rather than an ethical burden, and is the next wave in promoting carbon neutral futures. Electrify! is the company motto, and the team hopes to inspire the Hudson Valley region to better understand how market-ready this choice can be for anyone either building a new home or renovating an older one.
The Building
The building began as a dry-goods store for Stone Ridge before the Civil War, and much of the original fabric of the building, right down to the worn boards in front of the cash register, were uncovered and preserved by the design build team. The Chancellor Building, as it was originally known, saw an evolution through the centuries that included becoming a Shell gas station for the earliest Model T’s to a solar powered model of electrification and lower carbon footprint education for the region.
The newly renovated 4,400 SF building has a range of spaces, each flexibly furnished for multiple uses and configurations. These include:
Two main rooms of nearly 900 SF (21’ x 44’) with high ceilings, acoustic surfaces, and fully equipped for music, screen presentations and film. Seating for up to 100 people.
Four rentable conference rooms with screens, range of sizes from 6-16 people
Four acoustic phone booths for Zoom calls.
A rear enclosed garden with optional tent for member parties, co-work meetings, and Friday gatherings around a fire.
The Team
Peter Reynolds is the current co-owner of Electric House, and the design director and a founder of North River.
Chris Ruel is North River architect and Electric House Operations Director who will guide the project’s integration into the local community, both as a co-working business place and an educational center for zero carbon literacy.
Elise Pettus, interior designer, co-owner, and program specialist will focus on welcoming purposeful workshops and retreats, as well as inviting in artists to use Electric House.
Madeline Russo, the community manager for the project, will build the programming for the co-working community with a particular interest in parent-friendly usage.