Here's some pics of my trip around Upstate back in October - it rained most of the time.  :x

 

I stopped in Syracuse (downtown) on a Sunday morning, so forgive the lack of activity.  It was either raining or drizzling nearly my entire time there.  Since I hadn't spent any time in the 'Cuse for over 30 years I figured I better do a fairly thourough tour of the place to check out the changes.

 

 

Here's some pics, and comments(not too extensive).

 

 

1. Approaching downtown from the south on I-81.

 

2. On the other side of I-81 is Syracuse University.

 

3. So I parked near Columbus Circle next to a church.

 

4. Well....I'm guessing it use to be a church.

 

5.  Onondaga County Courthouse

 

6.  Statue of Columbus in Columbus Circle

 

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The next 6 pics are of the old Hotel Syracuse, once THE place to be, now an abandoned old building.:(

 

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14.  Need any old hotel furniture?

 

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18. The Galleries of Syracuse building (a failed retail attempt now mostly empty)

 

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24.  I believe the tannish building is the old Central High School.

 

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27. Attractive old building (one of many in downtown Syracuse)

 

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There are some unattractive newer buildings, and many are empty.

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I'm a big fan of rehabilitating the older buildings, especially those with charater.

 

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I got to Clinton Square, and there was an Octoberfest getting started.

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I didn't join in because I had to get some pics of the great old buildings around the square.

 

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49.  And here's a pic of the same area from 1904.  The Erie Canal divided the last two buildings.  (source - the Library of Congress)

 

50. There is now a one-way street where the canal flowed between the two buildings. And these are the instructions for parking:

 

51.  Most folks get the idea.

 

52.  But I guess there's always one.

 

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55. The State Tower Building - the city's tallest

 

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59. Two couples got out of the big Benz and went into a little French Cafe with the white canopy.  I was too soaked to join them.:(

 

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62. Apparently this little filley likes to run.

 

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66.  Make up your own joke. ;)

 

67.  Looks like this one is getting some rehab.

 

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And speaking of rehab, I would be remiss if I didn't include this beauty:

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Sorry for some of the raindrop spots on the lens. Hope you enjoyed the tour.  :-D

 

 

Awesome shots!

Man Syracuse has some of the most beautiful architecture.  It's a shame though about the city's economy. 

The first time I saw the Niagra Mohawk building I was so amazed by it.  Whenever I visit my brother I always try to see it at least once.

Great thread.  It's good to see some rehabbing going on downtown.

Great pics... Upstate New York is incredibly beautiful, but also incredibly depressing.

It looks great but it looks like they went cheap with the first floor windows.  Does anyone know what the black material is?  We have some of that black stone here in Cincinnati but it doesn't look as rich as this. 

thanks, great pictures. I've been through Syracuse on the train many times. Basically all I see are the Carousel Mall (I think that's what it's called) on one side and the lake on the other. Those old buildings and are beautiful.

 

Great pics.

The Niagara Mohawk is absolutely stunning.

 

 

It looks great but it looks like they went cheap with the first floor windows. Does anyone know what the black material is? We have some of that black stone here in Cincinnati but it doesn't look as rich as this.

 

Presumably either granite or marble. I'd guess granite because granite is generally a better cladding material for exterior applications (marble is usually too porous and fragile for harsh freeze/thaw cycles), but there's no way to know for sure without looking at it up close.

What Church is #8?  Syracuse looks great!

Great Shots...  Syracuse seems to have two sides... gorgeous old architecture and ugly 60s urban renewal

Impressive architecture.  Thanks for the tour!

Wow, cool stuff, thank!  I loved the historic shot (#49).  I'm sure it made sense at the time, but would have been really cool if the canal hadn't been filled in.

Wow, I haven't been in Syracuse since 2000 but a lot has changed. Last time I was there I stayed at the Hotel Syracuse. The one tower had actually been renovated. I can't believe it's empty now. Unfortunately, it was an older building, and it lost a lot of business to the newer hotels on Carrier Circle, near the freeway.

 

How was the activity on Franklin Square? When I was in school, that was the city's recently revitalized equivalent to Cleveland's warehouse district. A lot of cool restaurants / bars, and galleries. There was a short rail system that took students from SU and would drop them off on the square, or take them to Carousel Center. It was pretty active back then.

The Syracuse Savings Bank building is stunning

Thanks for the nice replies folks.  I agree that the city has a ton of wonderful old buildings, and nice to see so many are being saved/renovated. 

@ AJ93, I drove through Franklin Square, but it was raining too hard at that point to take any pics, and now I have a reason to go back to the city for another visit some day.

The church in No. 8 is the former First Baptist Church. The upper two floors of the building comprised the Mizpah Hotel. The really successful part of downtown right now is Armory Square, which is on the west end. It is doing very well. Franklin Square, a former industrial district, is northwest of downtown. It is an office and residential district, with a few places to eat or drop off your dry cleaning. It doesn't have the retail or restaurant activity of Armory Square, but it is a remarkable example of adaptive reuse.

^ You're right. I've gotten my squares mixed up (been a while). I'm absolutely thinking of Armory square.

 

BTW, next time you're in Syracuse, go to Clark's Ale House. Tons of micro brews and they roast their own roast beef on a spit right there. Unbelievably good.

Beautiful old buildings! Niagara Mohawk is reason enough to go there.

 

The back-in angle parking is catching on, and I think it's an excellent idea. It's much safer, because you can see other traffic both while backing in and while pulling out. A disproportionately large percentage of low-speed fender-benders occur while someone is backing out of a parking space.

One interesting piece of information I recently ran across regarding the SA&K Building, shown in image no. 39, is that the lower four floors were built in 1869, with the top three being added in 1894. The building is now known as City Hall Commons and is used for city offices.

Beuatiful city and shots - thanks for posting :)

Looking at this thread again, I realized out of all the times I have been in Syracuse while visiting my brother, I think we had clear weather only twice or three times.  Every other time it has either rained or snowed.

Looking at this thread again, I realized out of all the times I have been in Syracuse while visiting my brother, I think we had clear weather only twice or three times. Every other time it has either rained or snowed.

 

I remember one year (1995 I think) it snowed on graduation day, which was coincidentally Mother's Day. That's why I chuckle when people kvetch about the snow in NEO.