News

Thursday, October 26, 2017

Residents of Wellesley Island and the surrounding Thousand Islands community celebrated the opening of the new Guzzle Building in Thousand Island Park this summer. The iconic ice cream and candy shop was constructed on the site of the original building, which was destroyed in an August 2014 fire.

Klepper, Hahn & Hyatt teamed with Jonathan Taylor, principal of Taylored Architecture, PLLC, in Clayton, to win the design competition for the new building. “The Guzzle,” as it is known locally, was significant in community life as a gathering place.

The Thousand Island Park Corporation wanted to recreate that locus of shared memory and experience with a design that echoed the most recent building and complemented the nearby Victorian architectural styles. KHH was knowledgeable about the site, having performed the assessment of the prior existing building.

To that end, the 6,000-square-foot, two-story building was constructed with 25-foot-high walls and atrium, and multiple windows, evoking a 19^th century storefront design. It is all wood-framed, with interior rolled steel beams and columns for support. Lateral stability was achieved by using exterior wood shear walls tied down with hold-down connectors. The exterior walls were framed using engineered wood studs. Although uncommon, this design detail provides more strength and true alignment in a building with a large, cavernous interior such as that of The Guzzle.

The second floor of the building is styled as an open loft, and features a gaming room and lounge area in addition to a balcony extending almost three-quarters of the way around the building.

Customers at The Guzzle can purchase ice cream and classic candies, and can sit down at indoor or outdoor seating to order breakfast and lunch. The new building also houses a small grocery and convenience store.

As of July 2017, The Guzzle was once again serving as a community hub for residents of the Thousand Islands.