SYRACUSE — Happiness and positivity is something Troy Evans oozes. And as the owner and developer of Commonspace — a 30,000-square-foot multifunctional building located at 201 E. Jefferson St. — he strives to provide it for everyone who works or lives there. Evans says he read survey data showing high rates of happiness for people […]
SYRACUSE — Happiness and positivity is something Troy Evans oozes. And as the owner and developer of Commonspace — a 30,000-square-foot multifunctional building located at 201 E. Jefferson St. — he strives to provide it for everyone who works or lives there.
Evans says he read survey data showing high rates of happiness for people who co-work, which helped spark his ideas for providing co-living space, which combines private living spaces with common areas and shared services. Tenants live in a mix of dormitory and hotel-style elements in a rented apartment setting. Clean lines and modern amenities accompany shared gourmet kitchens and hangout spaces to create a community setting while maintaining residents’ sense of privacy.
“Ninety-nine percent of people working out of a cowork are happy,” Evans said in an April interview with CNYBJ. “A 99 percent happiness rate is ridiculous.” It’s the sharing of ideas that influences cohesive thought, he added. If sharing a workspace could be beneficial to thought processes and innovation, Evans — and his business partner John Talacario — says he saw no reason sharing a living space couldn’t encourage similar personal growth.
The Commonspace building has five 6,000-square-foot floors, each with a unique purpose. The ground level is home to several storefronts including a Subway, Liberty Tax, a clothing store named Vintage Love, and a tailor. Syracuse Coworks, a community workspace that opened in 2015 occupies the second floor, and the third floor is home to a handful of small law firms.
The fourth and fifth floors of the structure are what give Commonspace its name. The floors feature 21 micro-apartment units, fully furnished with their own raised platform bed, bathroom, television, and kitchenette.
The community space includes a dining area, a large media room, game room, reading room, laundry, free coffee stations, and a fully appointed chef’s kitchen featuring a six-burner cooktop, two ovens, and a large refrigerator.
Rents vary from $800 to $925 a month, depending on the unit size and lease options (yearly, six-month, or month-to-month basis). The tiny apartments offer an aesthetic designed to appeal to younger generations looking for a community vibe while holding on to an essence of personal space.
Commonspace is part of a growing trend of “dorms for grownups” or “millennial dorms” as described in in a Nov. 6, 2015, article in The Atlantic, which featured Commonspace and its founders Evans and Talarico.
Commonspace was also featured as one of the tour stops on the 2016 Downtown Living Tour put on by the Downtown Committee on May 21.
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