NEW SCOTLAND — Old Songs Inc. has joined the Voorheesville renaissance.

The not-for-profit organization has a mission of promoting traditional, or folk, music and dance through festivals, concerts, dances, and educational programs.

It is housed in a building that was constructed in the 1880s as a church, and then became a public library before serving as space for a restaurant and bar.

Old Songs Inc. purchased the building in 2003.

The white clapboard structure at 37 South Main Street in the heart of the village was showing its age, said Joy Bennett, Old Songs director.

She applied for and received a $50,000 grant from the New York State Council on the Arts.

The new vinyl siding — white with steel gray trim — came in at $51,000, Bennett said. The work was done by Latham Roofing & Siding.

The building had been added to and modified over the years, Bennett said. “I took pictures for the grant. With all the construction, the clapboards were in all different directions — even diagonal. Now it has a unified look.”

Initially, she said, the plan was to remove two original doors with stained glass in the windows, on the left side of the building. Even though the doors had been covered with plastic, they leaked lots of cold air into the old building.

The contractor put glass over the outside of the doors to prevent heat loss and the plastic has now been removed from inside.

“I think it’s gorgeous,” said Bennet. “I’m happy we saved those.”

She said an attempt had been made earlier to paint the outside of the building but that work was quickly halted because the contractor wasn’t repairing or scraping.

“I took a shot,” Bennet said of applying. “I’m very happy we got the grant … It’s going to preserve the building for many, many years to come.”

The work at Old Songs was 95 percent complete, Bennet said, for the season’s opening concert on Sept. 29.

She is enthused about the upcoming concerts in the upgraded venue. Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas perform on Oct. 10, followed by Magpie on Oct. 19, and The Clements Brothers on Oct. 24.

November will bring Cantrip on the 9th, Bon Débarras on the 16th, and Lisa Gutkin’s Concert in Klezmer on the 22nd while Joe Newberry & April Verch will perform on Dec. 7 with Windborne on Dec. 14.

The facelift comes as Voorheesville is in the midst of a renaissance. Dylan Longton has opened a closed diner on the outskirts of the village, near the railroad tracks; the Pretty Alright Breakfast Club at 39 Voorheesville Ave. looks to be doing a booming business.

At the other end of the village, the old Smitty’s Tavern, at 112 Maple Ave., is being expanded and renovated by Anthony Berghela, owner of Romo’s Pizza in Glenmont.

And in the heart of the village, just down the street from the Old Songs venue, Business for Good has opened the Blackbirds Bike Café with plans to open a restaurant, Blackbirds Tavern, right across the street from Old Songs.

The not-for-profit helmed by Voorheesville native Ed Mitzen has said that Business for Good will use all profits from the Blackbirds eateries to fund high school sports, activities, and programs in Voorheesville and nearby towns.

“Having been a concert-goer myself,” said Bennett, “I was always looking for a place to eat before a concert … It is right across the street,” she said of Blackbirds Tavern.