Long-abandoned Victory Building in Johnson City to be redeveloped

JOHNSON CITY, N.Y. — Broome County officials have announced that the former Endicott-Johnson Shoe Manufacturing Co. plant in Johnson City will be converted to commercial space and senior apartments.

“The biggest eyesore in Broome County is going to be transformed into one of the best development projects,” Broome County Executive Jason Garnar contended in a news release.

The 253,000-square-foot building at 59 Lester Ave., known as the Victory Building, will have commercial space on the ground floor and 228 senior apartments on other floors, the release said, putting the price of that project at $50 million.

The development is being undertaken by the same group that owns the Press Building and the former First National Bank building in downtown Binghamton. William H. Lane Inc. and Monaco Construction will handle work at the site. That work is expected to take two years.

Built in 1921, the building housed Endicott-Johnson shoes until the 1970s. It later found use as storage space for cars and boats and was taken by the county for taxes in 2014.

Frank Evangelisti, director of planning and economic development for Broome County, said in the release that the development of the Victory Building fits a trend of abandoned landmarks being revived. He noted 48 Corliss Ave. was being turned into a nursing school for Binghamton University and the Century Sunrise factories were being converted to housing.

Contact McChesney at cmcchesney@cnybj.com