Armory Square
Encyclopedia
Downtown Syracuse
Downtown Syracuse is the economic center of Syracuse, New York, and Central New York, employing over 30,000 people, and housing over 2,000. It is also one of the 26 officially recognized neighborhoods of Syracuse.- History :...
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
. It began life as a busy commercial and industrial area just to the west of the central city. After World War II, Syracuse's central city became less and less populated as more housing and business facilities were built in the suburbs. In the 1980s, plans were first made to transform the languishing district into a small shopping/arts/nightlife district surrounding the Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science and Technology
Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science and Technology
The Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science and Technology is a museum located in the Armory Square neighborhood of Downtown Syracuse, New York. The museum includes multiple exhibits and a domed IMAX movie theatre. It is located in a historic building, the former Syracuse Armory.-External links:*...
(formerly the Discovery Center), which inhabits the former Syracuse Armory. These plans came to fruition during the 1990s, when new stores and restaurants opened, and several new buildings were constructed in a compatible style to the early Twentieth Century architecture dominating the district.
Today, Armory Square is the home of some of Syracuse's better restaurants, at least two coffeehouses, a radio station company, dozens of small shops selling everything from band instruments to used records to women's clothing, several bars and nightclubs, Urban Outfitters
Urban Outfitters
Urban Outfitters, Inc. is a publicly traded American company that owns and operates five retail brands: Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Free People, Terrain, and BHLDN....
, Armory Massage Therapy, a newly-restored upscale hotel, and two tattoo parlors. A number of professional firms are also located in Armory Square, including Eric Mower and Associates
Eric Mower and Associates
Eric Mower and Associates is an integrated marketing communications agency that offers consumer and business-to-business advertising, public relations and public affairs, brand promotion and digital/direct/relationship marketing....
, O'Brien & Gere
O'Brien & Gere
O'Brien & Gere is a national provider of engineering, construction, and operational services for: industrial, municipal, Federal, food and beverage, higher education, and life sciences clients. This company is entirely employee owned and private. They employ 850 employees within all of their...
, and the Sugarman Law Firm. The area is popular with students from Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
and Le Moyne College
Le Moyne College
Le Moyne College, named after Simon Le Moyne, is a private, Jesuit college enrolling over 3,500 undergraduate and graduate students. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1946, Le Moyne is the first Jesuit college to be founded as a co-educational institution...
.
Its borders are generally considered to be the circular road around the armory (Jefferson Street) to the south, Onondaga Creek
Onondaga Creek
Onondaga Creek is a major tributary of Onondaga Lake which is located in Onondaga County, New York. The headwaters of the creek originate south of the city of Syracuse near the hamlet of Vesper, New York...
to the west, Washington Street to the north, and Clinton Street to the east.
Armory Square is also home to the Shot Clock Monument
Shot clock
A shot clock is used in some sports to quicken the pace of the game. It is normally associated with basketball, but has also found use in sports such as snooker, professional lacrosse, water polo, and korfball....
.
In June of 2009 the book Then and Now: Armory Square was published by Arcadia Publishing. Written by Robert J. Podfigurny and George W. Curry, the book contains side by side historic and current pictures of historic buildings in Armory Square along with information about the buildings, architecture, past tenants, and more. Historic pictures were contributed in part by the Onondaga Historical Association.
Armory Square Historic District
Forty-six industrial and commercial buildings make up the Armory Square Historic District. West Fayette Street is the northern boundary of the district, the rear property lines of the buildings on South Clinton Street the eastern boundary. The southern boundary is a raised railroad track, while the western boundary includes the buildings on Walton Street. The buildings in the district include the Armory, a railroad station, hotels, warehouses and commercial buildings. The district was added to the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1984.
Armory Square Historic District contributing properties
| Landmark name | Image | Date Built | Style | Location | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1874 | 307-09 South Clinton Street |
5 stories; brick commercial building; segmental window arches; fifth story added 1885 | |||
| 2 | 1874 | 311-13 South Clinton Street |
4 stories; brick commercial building; recessed windows; fancy cornice | |||
| 3 | Donohue Building (portion) | c. 1885 | Queen Anne | 312-16 South Clinton Street |
4 stories; red brick; decorative sandstone, granite and terra cotta elements | |
| 4 | Butler Block | 1893 | Romanesque | 317-21 South Clinton Street |
5 stories; red brick; broad arches; cast-iron columns | |
| 5 | Neil & Hyde Block (portion) | c. 1887 | Queen Anne-Romanesque | 318-22 South Clinton Street |
5 stories; brick warehouse; limestone trim; architect Asa Merrick | |
| 6 | Clinton Building | 1876 | 400-08 South Clinton Street |
3 stories; brick; 1920's alterations | ||
| 7 | Onondaga Music Building | 1914 | 410-416 South Clinton Street |
4 stories; buff brick commercial building | ||
| 8 | 1874 | 415-17 South Clinton Street |
4 stories; patterned brick commercial building; | |||
| 9 | Loew Building Landmark Theatre (Syracuse, New York) The Landmark Theatre, originally known as Loew's State Theater, is an historic theater from the era of "movie palaces", located on South Salina Street in Syracuse, New York, United States. Designed by Thomas W. Lamb, it is the city's only surviving example of the opulent theatrical venues of the... |
 |
1928 | 423-31 South Clinton Street |
2 stories on S. Clinton St.; 8 stories on S. Salina St.; large theater, also known as Loews State Theater or the andmark Theatre (Syracuse, New York)]|]; individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation... in 1977 |
|
| 10 | Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western Passenger Station | 1941 | Art Moderne | 500 South Clinton Street |
2 stories; buff brick; arched windows | |
| 11 | c. 1874 | 306 South Franklin Street |
2 stories; brick; arched windows | |||
| 12 | c. 1880s | 308-10 South Franklin Street |
3 stories; brick; original storefront | |||
| 13 | c. 1887 | 309-15 South Franklin Street |
4 stories; brick; granite piers | |||
| 14 | c. 1900 | 317-21 South Franklin Street |
2 stories; brick; originally carriage makers; 1940 became garage; 1983 offices | |||
| 15 | Hall & McChesney Building | c. 1892/1906 | 402-10 South Franklin Street |
4 stories; brick; warehouse | ||
| 16 | Bentley & Settle Warehouse | c. 1894-5 | 120-24 Walton Street |
6 stories; brick; intact loading dock | ||
| 17 | c. 1885 | 128 Walton Street |
2 stories; yellow brick; second floor loading door | |||
| 18 | c. 1890s | 134 Walton Street |
2 stories; brick; plate glass windows | |||
| 19 | c. 1890s | 136 Walton Street |
2 stories; brick; paired windows | |||
| 20 | Gray Brothers Shoe Factory | 1873 | 200-02 Walton Street |
4 stories; brick walls and window hoods | ||
| 21 | c. 1930 | 204-10 Walton Street |
2 stories; factory; brick | |||
| 22 | c. 1872 | 215-19 Walton Street |
3 stories; brick; arched windows | |||
| 23 | c. 1870s-1880s | 216 Walton Street |
2 stories; ornamental brick | |||
| 24 | c. 1902 | 221-23 Walton Street |
3 stories; commercial building; brick piers | |||
| 25 | c. 1910 | Renaissance | 113-17 West Fayette Street |
5 stories; brick | ||
| 26 | Kirk Block | c. 1869 | 127-29 West Fayette Street |
4 stories; brick; commercial building | ||
| 27 | c. 1871 | 215-17 West Fayette Street |
4 stories; brick; commercial building; 1930s modern facade | |||
| 28 | Tallman Block | c. 1871 | Italianate | 219-25 West Fayette Street |
3 stories; brick; commercial building; rear entrance on Walton Street; architect Archimedes Russell Archimedes Russell Archimedes Russell was an American architect most active in the Syracuse, New York area.Born in Andover, Massachusetts and trained under local architect Horatio Nelson White, Russell served as a professor of architecture at Syracuse University from 1873 through 1881.In the course of his career he... |
|
| 29 | Piper-Phillips Block | c. 1872 | Italianate | 227-37 West Fayette Street |
3 stories; brick; commercial building; original storefronts | |
| 30 | Seubert & Warner Building | c. 1875 | Romanesque | 239-41 West Fayette Street |
3 stories; brick; commercial building; rear entrance on Walton Street; architect Charles Colton | |
| 31 | c. 1895 | Italianate | 227-37 West Fayette Street |
3 stories; brick with stone trim; commercial building; prism glass in storefronts | ||
| 32 | Hogan Block | c. 1892 | Romanesque | 247-59 West Fayette Street |
5 stories; brick with limestone trim; factory building; prism panels in storefronts | |
| 33 | Crown Hotel | c. 1876 | Italianate | 301-27 West Fayette Street |
3 stories; brick; commercial building | |
| 34 | c. 1872 | 309-11 West Fayette Street |
3 stories; brick; commercial building | |||
| 35 | c. 1873 | 313-17 West Fayette Street |
2 stories; brick; commercial building; molded keystones | |||
| 36 | Stag Hotel | 1869 | 321 West Fayette Street |
3 stories; brick; intact storefront | ||
| 37 | 1875 | 329-31 West Fayette Street |
4 stories; brick; warehouse; rear entrance on Walton Street | |||
| 38 | Jefferson Clinton Hotel | 1927 | 227-37 West Jefferson Street |
10 stories; brick; stone facade first two floors; architect Gustavas A. Young | ||
| 39 | New York State Armory | 1907/1932 | West Jefferson Street |
Housed Army National Guard; brick and limestone; central drill hall added in 1932 | ||