Ballroom dancing studio in the works for former Athol Savings Bank building

The former Athol Savings Bank in downtown Athol has been purchased for $450,000 and the new owner plans to convert the site into a ballroom dancing studio. Judit Gaspar and her son Christopher Affonso purchased the site at 442 Main St. on Sept. 1, according to Worcester District Registry of Deeds records.  Gaspar is owner of Champions Dance Sport Club in Everett, and is planning a second Champions location at the historic two-story building, she told WBJ.  Originally unfamiliar with Athol, at first she thought the location may be too far from Everett to be practical, but was won over by the sight of the classic stone-built bank office. “This is the most beautiful building,” Gaspar said. “This used to be a bank, but it's designed in a way where I don't need to change anything in the layout in the building to make sure that I have the proper reception area.” Born in Hungary, Gaspar has been ballroom dancing since she was 14. She moved to the United States in 1997 and has been running Champions for the past two decades. Gasper is an education director for the American Dance Sports Federation and is part of efforts to grow ballroom dancing as a competitive sport.  Her plans for the new Athol location include two ballrooms, with a grand ballroom on the first floor and an additional ballroom in the basement. The site will be used to host classes and competitions, adding a bit of culture to downtown Athol’s continuing revitalization efforts, part of a broader movement in North Central Massachusetts. A champion ballroom dancer himself, Affonso will take the lead in running this location, with the purpose of passing on his skills to the next generation of dancers. “The lifeline of anything is the new generation,” he said.  Build out of the space is ongoing, with a planned opening in November, Gaspar said. The site was purchased from Cornerstone Bank, which merged with Athol Savings Bank in January. The building, featuring two stone columns in a classic bank design found in many Central Massachusetts downtowns, was built in 1867, according to town of Athol property records. The site received a 2026 assessment of $608,100. The former Athol Savings Bank building joins a People Savings Bank location in Marlborough that was turned into a pizza and ice cream shop as another former Central Massachusetts bank building seeing a second life.  Eric Casey is the managing editor at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the real estate and banking & finance industries.