SHARING THE SCHOOLHOUSE: Lou and Jeri Becker have no regrets about buying the former St. Mary's Catholic School in Albion five years ago. They have renovated much of the 7,000-square-foot structure and are pleased to open up the site to the public as a bed and breakfast.

The Daily News
Batavia, NY
Monday June 22, 2009

*Former Catholic school now a B&B*
By Tom Rivers
trivers@batavianews.com

ALBION -- Lou Becker still smiles when he recalls his reaction five years ago when he saw a tiny newspaper ad, seeking buyers for a former Catholic school in Albion.

Becker and his wife Jeri were living in Penfield. Both had retired after 30 years working at Xerox. They were thinking about downsizing into a smaller home.

Becker remembers how he thought there were dim prospects for the building.

"The 7,000 square feet jumped out at me and the location in Albion," Becker recalled Thursday. "I thought, 'Where's Albion?' and 'Who would ever buy a 7,000-square-foot house to live in?'"

The Beckers, mainly out of curiosity, decided to take a look at the former St. Mary's school that backs up to the Erie Canal. Despite the building's rough indoor condition, the couple fell in love with it, and its history.

A week later, they sold their house and moved in.

Their daughter Kristin, her husband Dave Ward and their three children shared the house the first two years until Dave took another job out of the area. Kristin home-schooled the kids in the schoolhouse.

The Beckers gradually renovated the former school, creating bedrooms out of some classrooms, and upgrading the infrastructure in the building. (They kept the chalkboards on the walls.)

By the third year in the schoolhouse, they opened the site for tours by the community for the 100th anniversary of the school in 2007. Mrs. Becker researched and created a booklet, listing all of the students' names from 1943 to 1977. Former St. Mary's students all were welcome to tour the place.

Last month, the Beckers added a new chapter in the building's history when they opened the Erie Canal Schoolhouse Bed and Breakfast. They have three rooms, all decorated with local and Canal lore.

"We weren't utilizing the building," Mrs. Becker said at her home on 43 Brown St., next to the St. Mary's Catholic Church. "We didn't feel we were being good stewards with two of us living in 7,000 square feet. We wanted to share this because it is such an important part of Albion's history."

The Beckers believe the site will prove popular with canal cyclists and boaters, and other people seeking a quiet escape. They advertise the bed and breakfast for its "country comfort, old-school style."

There is a path that runs along their property, linking to the towpath on the canal. The schoolhouse also is next to woods, and Mr. Becker said customers like morning walks with the sounds of so many birds.

"It's a great spot if you want to come and relax," he said.

They welcome children and urge customers to explore the large house.

"It's not a Victorian home," Mrs. Becker said. "Here you're not afraid to touch things."

The Beckers have enjoyed meeting people as part of their new business. One customer, a reporter from the Netherlands, was visiting eastern United States, writing about Netherlands natives who built new lives in America. The reporter's list included Mrs. Becker's grandfather.

A Rutgers University professor also visited the bed and breakfast with his young family. They were singing the famous "Fifteen Miles on the Erie Canal" song after a bike ride on the towpath.

Mr. Becker said he got "goose bumps" listening to the family -- "Low bridge, everybody down" -- and hearing their excitement about spending the day on the canal, the 363-mile-long waterway that opened in 1825 and turned New York into a economic powerhouse.

Mr. Becker for 30 years helped Xerox recycle spare parts. After that career, he worked in carpentry and painting for a friend. Those skills have faced the ultimate test at the former schoolhouse.

Mr. Becker, vice chairman of Albion's Historic Preservation Commission, said the schoolhouse has been worthy of his family's efforts.

"I still feel strongly about recycling, including reusing old houses and school buildings," he said.

For more information, contact the Beckers at (585) 589-2695 or visit www.eriecanalschoolhouse.com.