Former Syracuse manufacturing site endorsed for Registers of Historic Places

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Gov. Kathy Hochul announced March 10 that the state Board for Historic Preservation has recommended adding 21 properties to the State and National Registers of Historic Places, including former facilities involved in early automobile manufacturing and sales in Buffalo and Syracuse.

The Syracuse site the board recommended was the H.A. Moyer Factory Complex. Currently vacant, these four industrial buildings in Syracuse were constructed between 1881 and 1909 by the H.A. Moyer Co., a maker of luxury carriages and, later, automobiles from 1908-1914, when increasing assembly line production by competitors made the company unprofitable. During production, the company’s automobiles were sold nationwide among a luxury clientele. Moyer continued to produce an innovative hybrid car-motorcycle, called the Ner-A-Car, until 1925. The plant was later used for producing machine equipment and power tools.

A listing in the State and National Registers of Historic Places can assist owners in revitalizing properties, making them eligible for various public-preservation programs and services, according to Hochul’s office. That includes matching state grants and state and federal historic-rehabilitation tax credits.