Krause’s Candy Store, Central Avenue, Albany, NY

Krause's Homemade Candy needed an addition to accommodate storage and production operations, but the Village of Colonie did not want a building that looked like it was obviously light industrial in nature at this prominent location on Central Avenue.

The owners had very definite ideas about how they wanted the structure to look, and a budget which could not be exceeded. Along with the necessity for the addition not to visually overwhelm the original two-story retail facility, and the requirement by the Village of Colonie that the tractor-trailer loading dock be screened from sight, this provided Keystone Architectural Services with design challenges for the project.

Final design of the 8,500-square-foot, single-story wood frame and masonry structure visually extends the retail building without drawing attention away from the main customer entrance. The red roof of the storage area balances the red roof and porch canopy of the retail building, while the whimsical red gable roofs and canopies of the production area provide a look that could have come to life from the 'Candy Land' board game. All of the design adds up to a building which visually advertises its own purpose.

Additionally, William F. Matuszek of Keystone Architectural feels that a key element in speeding up the village planning board's approval process was Keystone's presentation of detailed color renderings of the project at an early point.