Adirondack Architectural Heritage (AARCH), the historic preservation organization for the Adirondack region, will host a series of walking tours this spring in three communities with unique architecture. Free and open to the public, the tours will take place in Potsdam on May 14, Ticonderoga on May 21, and at Clinton Community College at Bluff Point on Lake Champlain on June 4.

Participants will join local experts and historians in exploring the distinct styles, materials and building designs, and the fascinating history of these very different Adirondack places.

The first two tours, “Potsdam Sandstone: 50 Shades of Red,” will be on Saturday, May 14 at 10 am and again at 1 pm. Potsdam, founded in 1803, is home to dozens of buildings made of red sandstone quarried from sites along the Raquette River. Its sandstone was used in buildings from Albany to Ottawa. Two free tours are being offered and both will begin at the Potsdam Public Museum, 2 Park Street, itself of red sandstone construction. The Museum is a co-sponsor of the tours.

The Saturday, May 21 tour of Ticonderoga will focus on its historic districts, commercial buildings and late 19th-century architecture in a tour entitled “Ticonderoga: The Town that Moses Built.” The free tour will begin at 10 am at the Hancock House Museum, 6 Moses Circle. The tour is co-sponsored by the Ticonderoga Historical Society.

The final tour on Saturday June 4 will discover the history and architecture of the buildings on Bluff Point, one of the most scenic spots on Lake Champlain. This tour, “Bluff Point: From Hotel Champlain to Clinton Community College,” is a unique opportunity to view the adaptive public reuse of the former grand resort built in the early 20th century. This free tour will begin at 10 am at the entrance to the college’s main building, 136 Clinton Point Drive, Plattsburgh.

For more information, click here or call (518) 834-9328.