Corning historic landmark to be converted into market rate apartments. What we know.

The Corning City Council Monday night approved an Historic Landmark Designation for 10 W. First St., originally a Steuben County Courthouse and later a DMV office, and threw its support behind a nearly $1.5 million grant to help convert the site into market rate apartments.

City Manager Mark Ryckman said the almost $1.5 million Restore NY Communities Initiative Municipal Grant Program application is geared to help fund a proposed $2.8 million project at the site, designed by owners Guiseppe and Jennifer Milio.

Ryckman said the Milio family will provide the required local match for the grant.

Jennifer Miller, city planning and economic development director, said the grant deadline is May 22, and if the application is successful, the work on the project will likely begin in the late summer or early fall.

“The project will promote both economic development, the preservation of the community resources and the creation of housing units in the city of Corning,” said Corning City Mayor Bill Boland.

Guiseppe and Jennifer Milio purchased the 10 W. First St. building from Steuben County for $142,500 during the 2023 Steuben County Real Property Tax Auction. It was one of 98 properties sold by the county during the auction.

The property was put on the market after the county moved the DMV from that site to a location in Painted Post. The 10 W. First St. site served as a Steuben County Courthouse since the early 1900s and then as a Department of Motor Vehicles office until about a year ago.

At the time of the sale, Steuben County Manager Jack Wheeler said he was very pleased with the sale price.

“It was more than we expected, but I feel it shows a commitment by the owner to do something positive with the building,” Wheeler said.

The Steuben legislature built the Corning Courthouse in the early 1900s and was still the property's owner at the time of the 2023 auction.

Former Steuben Courthouse, DMV in Hornell has been repurposed

There is precedent for the transformation of a former courthouse and DMV office in Steuben County.

The Hornell Courthouse, the only other county court building outside of Bath, also closed in the 1980s before hosting DMV offices. The Hornell Courthouse at 12 Allen St. received just one bid for $2,000 when it was sold in an auction by Steuben County in late 2018.

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The building was rebranded as The Courthouse and a number of small businesses moved in over the next few years, ranging from a book bar to a fitness center, but the COVID-19 shutdown slowed the growth of the facility and it was placed back on the market.

Catholic Charities closed on the property for $220,000 in 2022 and now hosts a variety of services out of the building.

This article originally appeared on The Leader: Corning developers eye grant to convert Steuben Courthouse to housing