Universal Preservation Hall seats up to 700 at 25 Washington Street in Saratoga Springs. This year-round arts and community events venue currently seats up to 700 and has a large, open, community room. It also houses the worship space for the Universal Baptist Church, a historically African-American congregation.
The building opened February 29, 2020 after being restored and re-fitted as a performance hall and rental venue, and today hosts a wide range of events from music to theatre, lectures, weddings, conferences, classes, and exhibits. Behind that recent life is a 19th-century origin: it was built in 1871 as the First Methodist Episcopal Church and designed by architects E. Boyden & Son. Elbridge Boyden borrowed from German and Italian Gothic styles, contrasting rose colored brick with light Ohio sandstone to define the pointed Gothic arches that frame the doors and windows.
He used horizontal bands of that sandstone to unify the entire building. Inside, two walnut and ash staircases lead upstairs to the main theatre; the ceiling of this room is forty-five feet above. Notice the pointed Gothic arches, the bands of light Ohio sandstone, and the rose colored brick framing this facade.