Armory Square

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The Shot Clock Monument at Armory Square Syracuse Shot Clock Monument.jpg
The Shot Clock Monument at Armory Square
Armory Square Historic District
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LocationS. Clinton, S. Franklin, Walton, W. Fayette, and W. Jefferson Sts., Syracuse, New York
Coordinates 43°2′49″N76°9′18″W / 43.04694°N 76.15500°W / 43.04694; -76.15500
Built1870
Architectural styleModerne, Late Victorian
NRHP reference No. 84002816 [1]
Added to NRHPSeptember 7, 1984

Armory Square is a small neighborhood on the west side of Downtown Syracuse, New York. 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 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 middle and late 1800s and early 1900s architecture dominating the district.

Contents

Current day

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, 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, O'Brien & Gere, and the Sugarman Law Firm. The area is popular with students from Syracuse University and Le Moyne College.

Its borders are generally considered to be the circular road around the armory (Jefferson Street) to the south, Onondaga Creek to the west, Washington Street to the north, and Clinton Street to the east.

Armory Square is also home to the Shot Clock Monument, which includes a 24-second shot clock whose invention, here, was crucial to the successful development of basketball as a major sport.

A paved multi-use trail, the Onondaga Creekwalk, connects the neighborhood with Onondaga Lake. [2]

Vintage postcard of the Armory Armorypostcard.jpg
Vintage postcard of the Armory

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 former Lackawanna Railroad passenger station (1941), hotels, warehouses and commercial buildings. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. [3]

Contributing properties

Landmark nameImageDate BuiltStyleLocationDescription
11874307-09 South Clinton Street5 stories; brick commercial building; segmental window arches; fifth story added 1885
21874311-13 South Clinton Street4 stories; brick commercial building; recessed windows; fancy cornice
3Donohue Building (portion)c. 1885Queen Anne312-16 South Clinton Street4 stories; red brick; decorative sandstone, granite and terra cotta elements
4Butler Block Armory Square Historic District, Syracuse, New York.jpg 1893Romanesque317-21 South Clinton Street5 stories; red brick; broad arches; cast-iron columns
5Neal and Hyde Block (portion) Armory Square.jpg c. 1887Queen Anne-Romanesque318-22 South Clinton Street5 stories; brick warehouse; limestone trim; architect Asa Merrick
6Clinton Building1876400-08 South Clinton Street3 stories; brick; 1920s alterations
7Onondaga Music Building1914410-416 South Clinton Street4 stories; buff brick commercial building
81874415-17 South Clinton Street4 stories; patterned brick commercial building;
9 Loew Building LoewsStateTheatre 16december2007.jpg 1928423-31 South Clinton Street2 stories on S. Clinton St.; 8 stories on S. Salina St.; large theater, also known as Loews State Theater or the Landmark Theatre; individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977
10 Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western Passenger Station 1941Art Moderne500 South Clinton Street2 stories; buff brick; arched windows
11c. 1874306 South Franklin Street2 stories; brick; arched windows
12c. 1880s308-10 South Franklin Street3 stories; brick; original storefront
13c. 1887309-15 South Franklin Street4 stories; brick; granite piers
14c. 1900317-21 South Franklin Street2 stories; brick; originally carriage makers; 1940 became garage; 1983 offices
15Hall & McChesney Buildingc. 1892/1906402-10 South Franklin Street4 stories; brick; warehouse
16Bentley & Settle Warehouse Armory Square Historic District, Syracuse, New York,.jpg c. 1894-5120-24 Walton Street6 stories; brick; intact loading dock
17c. 1885128 Walton Street2 stories; yellow brick; second floor loading door
18c. 1890s134 Walton Street2 stories; brick; plate glass windows
19c. 1890s136 Walton Street2 stories; brick; paired windows
20Gray Brothers Shoe Factory1873200-02 Walton Street4 stories; brick walls and window hoods
21c. 1930204-10 Walton Street2 stories; factory; brick
22c. 1872215-19 Walton Street3 stories; brick; arched windows
23c. 1870s-1880s216 Walton Street2 stories; ornamental brick
24c. 1902221-23 Walton Street3 stories; commercial building; brick piers
25c. 1910Renaissance113-17 West Fayette Street5 stories; brick
26Kirk Blockc. 1869127-29 West Fayette Street4 stories; brick; commercial building
27c. 1871215-17 West Fayette Street4 stories; brick; commercial building; 1930s modern facade
28Tallman Blockc. 1871Italianate219-25 West Fayette Street3 stories; brick; commercial building; rear entrance on Walton Street; architect Archimedes Russell
29Piper-Phillips Blockc. 1872Italianate227-37 West Fayette Street3 stories; brick; commercial building; original storefronts
30Seubert & Warner Buildingc. 1875Romanesque239-41 West Fayette Street3 stories; brick; commercial building; rear entrance on Walton Street; architect Charles Colton
31c. 1895Italianate227-37 West Fayette Street3 stories; brick with stone trim; commercial building; prism glass in storefronts
32Hogan Blockc. 1892Romanesque247-59 West Fayette Street5 stories; brick with limestone trim; factory building; prism panels in storefronts
33Crown Hotelc. 1876Italianate301-27 West Fayette Street3 stories; brick; commercial building
34c. 1872309-11 West Fayette Street3 stories; brick; commercial building
35c. 1873313-17 West Fayette Street2 stories; brick; commercial building; molded keystones
36Stag Hotel1869321 West Fayette Street3 stories; brick; intact storefront
371875329-31 West Fayette Street4 stories; brick; warehouse; rear entrance on Walton Street
38 Jefferson Clinton Hotel 1927227-37 West Jefferson Street10 stories; brick; stone facade first two floors; architect Gustavas A. Young
39New York State Armory1907/1932West Jefferson StreetHoused Army National Guard; brick and limestone; central drill hall added in 1932; Currently houses the Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science and Technology

References

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. "Onondaga Creekwalk opens, connecting Armory Square and Onondaga Lake". October 25, 2011.
  3. Harwood, John F. (July 25, 1984). National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Armory Square Historic District. File Unit: National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Program Records: New York, 1964 - 2013. Retrieved April 21, 2021. Includes accompanying 36 photos from 1983.