Downtown Syracuse New York Walking Tour

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When the Erie Canal Museum opened its doors on October 25, 1962, it celebrated and preserved the life of the last remaining weighlock building in America. These buildings used to weigh passing boats, using either a weighing mechanism or by calculating how much water the boats displaced. A replica boat can be seen in the museum as if it were being weighed. This Greek revival building stands as a monument to the importance of the Erie Canal to the history of the United States.

2. Courier Building

Designed by Summer L. Hunt, the Courier Building in downtown Syracuse, New York dates back to 1844. This four-story, trapezoidal Greek Revival style building was the site of Daniel Webster's "Syracuse Speech," during which he proclaimed that resistance to the Fugitive Slave Law was synonymous with treason. The crowd then freed a runaway slave from the custody of U.S. Marshals and cemented Central New York's opposition to slavery. The Courier Newspaper occupied the building from 1856-1905, and Chicago Commercial style architectural designs were added in 1918. During the last century, the building fell into a deteriorated state and was rehabilitated by James Prioletti. The Courier Building now houses a restaurant and apartments.

3. Central New York Telephone and Telegraph Building (A.K.A. Onondaga Historical Association Building)

Built in 1895, this building served as the home to the CNY Telephone & Telegraph. The building is unique from most commercial buildings in its design and stands as a monument to the arrival of the telephone era which began in 1876 when Alexander Graham Bell presented his invention to exposition attendees in Philadelphia. In the audience that day was inventor Frederick C. Brower of Syracuse who returned with a license to install telephones in this area that were part of the Bell System. and twenty years later, numerous phone lines crisscrossed downtown Syracuse. Phone usage grew so popular that CNY Telephone and Telegraph were moved to a bigger building in 1905. At that time, the Onondaga Historical Association to take ownership of the original CNY building and remained there for almost a century.

4. Onondaga Historical Association

This building is the headquarters of the Onondaga Historical Association (OHA), and the site of its flagship museum, research center, and gift shop. The museum contains both permanent and temporary exhibits, which present the distinct and diverse history of Onondaga County to the public. Permanent exhibits here explore the settlement and foundation of Syracuse and Onondaga County, the role the city played in the Underground Railroad, and the history of Syracuse China company, which produced fine dinnerware for over 130 years. The association houses a large collection of 3D and 2D objects that number well over a million items, including typewriters, lanterns, washing equipment, Syracuse China, clothing, and a daguerreotype (an early photograph) of Frederick Douglass. Outside of this site, the OHA collaborates with other organizations to display exhibits throughout downtown Syracuse and Onondaga County.

5. Hamilton White House

Completed in 1842 for the family of merchant Hamilton White, this historic mansion is that last of many lavish homes that once bordered Fayette Park. Frederick Douglass delivered a speech at Fayette Park in 1847 and White played an active role in anti-slavery causes. He also helped African Americans secure their freedom by supporting the network of abolitionists who helped fugitives escape to northern states and Canada. Hamilton also helped establish colleges, churches, and innumerable social welfare programs. White's descendants owned the home until 1912, the house mainly functions as a professional office center, primarily occupied by law firms.

6. Everson Museum of Art

The Everson Museum of Art is one of the country's premier museums dedicated to American art. It was founded in 1897 as the Syracuse Museum of Fine Art. The current building, which opened in 1968, was the first museum designed by renowned architect I.M. Pei (the museum helped launched his career). The Everson was the first art museum in the country to collect only American art. The museum holds 11,000 works including paintings, sculptures, photographs, ceramics, works on paper, videos, and graphic art. The ceramic collection is one of the largest in the collections in the world and features works by Adelaide Robineau.

7. Plymouth Congregational Church

Plymouth Congregational Church was founded by abolitionists in 1853. The church hosted antislavery speakers like Frederick Douglass, and it is believed to have been a stop along the Underground Railroad. Construction of the current church building began in 1858, and was completed one year later. Architect and Syracuse native Horatio Nelson White designed the church, and also oversaw a major redesign in 1870-1871. The stained-glass windows are original, dating from 1859 and 1871, and the 3,000 pipe Möller organ was installed in 1930. Plymouth Congregational Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997 for its Romanesque Revival architecture and association with the abolitionist movement. The church has continued its legacy of social justice and activism into the 21st century.

8. Hotel Syracuse (Marriott Syracuse Downtown)

Constructed in 1924 as the city's grand downtown hotel, Hotel Syracuse boasted six hundred guestrooms and an ornate ballroom. The hotel was designed by William Stone Post of the New York City architectural firm George B. Post and Sons. At the time of its opening, Hotel Syracuse made headlines for offering private restrooms and other modern amenities for each of its guest rooms. Among the exterior features of the building are three towers that were designed to resemble classical columnns. Like many grand downtown hotels, Hotel Syracuse saw declining reservations as more guests arrived in the city by car instead of arriving at the downtown rail station. The hotel closed for a number of years to allow for a complete restoration and re-opened as part of the Marriott Chain in 2016.

9. The Landmark Theatre

Originally known as Loew’s State Theatre, the Landmark Theatre exemplifies the grand movie palaces that were built in the 1920s. Opened in 1928, the theater was designed by the architect Thomas Lamb in an ornate style that drew heavily on Middle Eastern and Asian iconography. Early audiences who attended shows would have marveled at the $40,000 Tiffany chandelier in the lobby, the pagoda fountain and fishpond upstairs, and the 1,400 pipe Wurlitzer organ in the theater. While Loew's State Theatre thrived through the 1940s, competition from television and suburban multiplexes created financial difficulties. After briefly closing in 1975, the theater was saved from demolition by community members who formed the group Syracuse Area Landmark Theater (SALT). Since then, the renamed Landmark Theatre has undergone a resurgence in popularity, hosting Broadway shows and touring musicians, and remaining a vital link to the past in downtown Syracuse.

10. Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science & Technology

Housed in Historic Armory Square in downtown Syracuse, the Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science & Technology offers fun science and technology community education in the form of hands-on exhibits, museum displays, and an IMAX theater. It opened in 1981 as the first hands-on science museum in the upstate New York. It has been located in the armory in since 1992, the same year it adopted its current name. Its exhibits explore a wide range of topics in science, technology, and the natural world. Exhibits include: Paleo: The Story of Life, which explores prehistoric life and features 128 rare fossils; the Earth Science Discovery Cave, which teaches visitors about caves, plate tectonics, and how climate change impacts Central New York; and the Life Sciences exhibit which explores the human body. There is also a recreated early 20th-century pharmacy shop and a rock climbing wall.

11. Niagara Mohawk Building

The Niagara Hudson Building, an Art Deco masterpiece, was constructed in 1932 as the headquarters for the Niagara Hudson Electric Company, the largest electricity provider in the United States at that time. The building emerged at a time when electricity grew profoundly popular at the time, notably in the Erie Canal "Great Corridor." Today it is owned by the energy company National Grid.

12. Amos Block (Modern: The Amos at Clinton Square)

Completed in 1878 between Syracuse's Water Street and Erie Blvd, the Amos Block stands as a testament to the impact of the Erie Canal long after its completion in 1825. Built as a warehouse and retail center, Amos Block was built by its namesake, Jacob Amos, who served as Syracuse mayor from 1892-1896. At that time the Erie Canal brought barges and ships directly behind the building which allowed goods to easily be loaded and unloaded. In 2006, renovations to the building allowed for its transformation into an apartment complex.

13. The Jerry Rescue Monument

This monument dedicated in 2001 honors the daring escape of a formerly enslaved African American man and those who assisted him in defiance of the Figutive Slave Law of 1850. Syracuse, like numerous towns and cities in upstate New York, was both a destination and a waypoint for enslaved persons who fled the South seeking freedom Th city was also home to several safehouse and supporters of the Underground Railroad. During the 1800s, more than a few formerly enslaved people made their way to Syracuse and to safety. Among them was William Henry, known at that time as Jerry. Jerry came to Syracuse in 1843 and made a living for himself as a cooper. In October of 1851, Jerry was arrested by federal marshals, who initially told him he was being charged with theft. It was only after he was in manacles that Jerry was told he was being arrested under the Fugitive Slave Law. Knowing that he would be taken back South and enslaved, a number of locals opposed to the growing power of the South, as well as abolitionists who were in the city for a meeting of the anti-slavery Liberty Party, broke into the jail where Jerry was held and helped him escape to Canada.

14. Syracuse Savings Bank Building

This historic bank building was completed three years after the Panic of 1873 and stood as the tallest building in Syracuse for many years. The building was something of a novelty for area residents at that time, rising 170 feet and featuring the first elevator of its kind in the city. Visitors paid ten cents to ride the elevator both for the novelty of the experience and for an opportunity to see Syracuse from the top of the building. The bank opened as Syracuse experienced a population boom and at a time when the country was recovering from the Panic of 1873. The bank financed many of the businesses in this part of New York during the late 19th century, an era known to many today as the Gilded Age.

15. Third National Bank (Today: 100 Clinton Square)

The Third National Bank, also known as the Community Chest Building and now 100 Clinton Square, was designed by architect Archimedes Russell in 1885. The building was the first of its kind in Syracuse, fully funded and constructed by its banking occupant. The building symbolized the bank's rise to prominence after the bank benefited from financing tied to the sale of salt during the Civil War. The bank's emergence demonstrated Syracuse's continued urban growth dating back to the arrival of the Erie Canal, but its demise in the 1930s notes the trouble banks endured during the Great Depression.

16. C. W. Snow and Company Warehouse (A.K.A. Lofts on Willow)

Built in 1913, the warehouse turned apartment complex stands as the last commissioned work by architect Archimedes Russell.The building originally functioned as a warehouse for Charles Wesley Snow's C.W. Snow & Co. retail and wholesale medicine business (pharmacy). Snow was a prominent business leader (and banker), and active in several organizations ranging from his church to the local historical association.

This Tour is a Walking Tour.

Downtown Syracuse New York Walking Tour

Created by Clio Admin on June 21st 2018, 8:23:47 pm.

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Description

This tour of Syracuse begins at the Erie Canal Museum and includes stops at the Onondaga Historical Association and several historic buildings such as the Landmark Theatre and Hotel Syracuse. The tour ends back near the starting point with the headquarters building of the Niagara Hudson Electric Company and several other buildings from the late 19th and early 20th century. If you have time, be sure to also see the monument to Ernie Davis on the Syracuse campus and the home of L. Frank Baum, author of The Wizard of Oz.

Entries on This Tour

Downtown Syracuse New York Walking Tour

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