State of Downtown report documents downtown Syracuse’s transformation

SYRACUSE — Downtown Syracuse is now home to 3,500 residents and 28,000 company employees in what has become a “neighborhood.”

That’s according to the “State of Downtown” report that Merike Treier, executive director of the Downtown Committee of Syracuse, Inc. delivered during the organization’s annual meeting held June 22 at the Marriott Syracuse Downtown.

In her remarks, Treier called the hotel a “metaphor” for downtown Syracuse’s future.

“For generations it was the social center of our community. And now, with her 

$76 million restoration, she’s back in that position,” Treier said. “But it’s her new name, new vision, and modern conveniences that offer a bright new future with her.”

Treier also noted the work that’s underway on the State Tower Building with its top floors wrapped in screening, above scaffolding. 

“A total transformation is underway,” she said. 

The State Tower Building will soon have 63 apartments when the Syracuse–based Pioneer Companies completes its $36 million renovation, Treier said in her report. 

“Incredible” levels of investment have moved downtown Syracuse “forward” this year, according to Treier. 

It includes nearly $200 million of investment activity that is underway, with more than 800 new jobs added “in just the last few months.” 

Treier also noted that 24 new retail businesses have opened in the last year. In addition, plans for 300 new apartments are “in the pipeline,” with construction on 157 currently underway.

“In fact, of the $570 million that’s been invested in downtown Syracuse in the last 10 years, half can be attributed to downtown residential development,” she said.

The work also includes a $43 million development of the former NYNEX telephone hub, which will include 180 residential units and new commercial space. 

Abe Einhorn purchased the Chimes Building with a $5 million plan to build 90 additional apartments, upgrade the commercial spaces, and restore this property’s position as an “iconic landmark,” said Treier. 

Marriott Syracuse Downtown owner Ed Riley and the Syracuse–based Hayner Hoyt Corporation are investing $26 million to develop upstate New York’s first Hyatt House. Construction on the 120-room extended stay hotel “will soon begin,” she added.

Company moves 

“This past year, downtown welcomed 800 new employees,” Treier noted in her remarks.

The company moves included SUNY Upstate Medical University relocating 400 finance and information-technology employees into the Galleries of Syracuse.

Mackenzie Hughes, a law firm, also relocated its headquarters to the Mackenzie Hughes Tower at the Galleries.

In addition, engineering firm Arcadis moved into One Lincoln Center, bringing 250 employees. 

Syracuse–based law firm Barclay Damon, LLP moved its offices and 160 employees into Onondaga Tower at 125 E. Jefferson St., which then became Barclay Damon Tower. 

In the same building, Ephesus Lighting doubled its workforce, adding 35 employees, Treier noted, and Blue Rock Energy moved into the Tower this past March with its 65 employees.

Downtown Awards of Excellence

The Downtown Committee of Syracuse honored Robert Doucette and George Curry with its Urban Innovation Award for their development work in the Armory Square area of downtown Syracuse.

The award was one of the organization’s Downtown Awards of Excellence, presented during its annual meeting. 

Doucette is a partner in Paramount Realty Group, LLC at 108 West Jefferson St. in Syracuse. Curry is a professor emeritus of landscape architecture at the SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry in Syracuse. Curry was unable to attend the event, according to Jim Breuer, chairman of the Downtown Committee of Syracuse, who emceed the annual meeting.

Doucette and Curry “had a vision” for Armory Square when it was known as a warehouse district, the Downtown Committee said. The organization described Doucette and Curry as “urban pioneers.” The duo restored the Labor Temple Building at 309 S. Franklin St. in 1984. 

With eight new residential apartments, the property became the first residential space in Armory Square, “setting the foundation for the successful Armory Square we know today,” the Downtown Committee noted.

Additional awards

The organization also honored Dennis Connors, historian at the Onondaga Historical Association, with its Heart of Downtown Award.

Connors “was at the forefront of the effort to save” Hanover Square from bulldozers in the 1960s. He “recognized the importance” of historic preservation from an economic and cultural standpoint. 

The Downtown Committee staff sees Connors, who plans to retire at the end of this year, as “the keeper of our community’s stories.”

In addition, the Downtown Committee also recognized owner Randy Sabourin and the staff at Metro Fitness with the Perfect Partner Award for their “creative programming” focused on healthy habits and wellness initiatives throughout the downtown area.

The Downtown Committee credits Sabourin with starting the conversation that brought outdoor fitness equipment to the Creekwalk earlier this year and jumpstarted the Wellness Wednesdays that the Downtown community looks forward to throughout the summer season in Clinton Square.

The organization also recognized a group of women entrepreneurs along Warren Street for their retail shops, boutiques, and eateries with what it called the Newsmaker Award.

The group included Kathie Morris of The Changing Room at 425 S. Warren St.; Shauna Diliberto and Susan Hodell of Vintage Love at 201 E. Jefferson St.; Natalie Evans and Jen Walls of The Sweet Praxis at 203 E. Water St.; Johanna Yorke of Otro Cinco at 206 S. Warren St.; Cheryl Hassett of Soup R Salads at 308 S. Warren St.; and Gini Cerio of Markowitz Florist at 210 S. Warren St.