Syracuse is filled with beautiful historic buildings, many of which were factories and warehouses from the early 20th Century. Over the years those in Armory Square and Franklin Square have been saved and repurposed, creating a vibrant bar and entertainment scene (Armory) and an exclusive condo and office park (Franklin) in the process. One area that has the same good bones but has not seen the same level of investment is Washington Square on Syracuse’s Northside.
Along North Salina St., from Lemoyne Ave up to Hiawatha Blvd., and over to Carbon St., you have many beautiful old buildings, including the famous factory with a house on top, that are ripe for redevelopment. Currently the neighborhood is occupied by multiple strip clubs, a smoke shop that doesn’t hide its products are used for pot, and numerous nearly if not completely abandoned warehouses along Wolf St. and Hiawatha Blvd. While these buildings could use TLC, they maintain their original beauty and a surprisingly walkable street, even though some of the sidewalks are in desperate need of repair.
Unlike Franklin Square, these buildings are right in the heart of the neighborhood, not separated by an invisible gate that makes the area feel exclusive. At the same time it has easy access to the nearby highways as well as a quick walk to Destiny USA, the Regional Market and NBT Bank Stadium. Development at the Inner Harbor is just blocks away, only adding to the feeling that time has come for these buildings to see new life.
Transforming this small section of Washington Square should be done with the lessons learned from Franklin Square and Armory Square, while keeping true to its working class history. This should not become an exclusive neighborhood like Franklin Square, or too rowdy of a bar scene like Armory Square. Instead it should embrace its manufacturing history. Some of these buildings would make perfect makerspaces; places open to artists, craftsman and small scale manufacturing. Matched with affordable apartments for those using those spaces would help to create a community that invests within itself as well as attracts outside investment.
Another step would be helping a local brewery move to the area to make use of the spaces, which would be a key anchor to the neighborhood. Look to the new Labatt Brew House/ Draft Room in Buffalo for inspiration, or even the more local Middle Ages Brewery off Park Ave. These breweries embraced old warehouses and manufacturing sites, repurposing them into thriving social scenes. With the ever expanding craft brewery market throughout the country, and especially in Syracuse, this could become an epicenter for creativity and innovation in brewing.
One of the downfalls of Franklin Square is the lack of street facing businesses. As you walk around the neighborhood there is little street life as a result. Washington Square, on the other hand, already has walkability built in. Empty storefronts line the streets, ripe for investment. This should be embraced and expanded. Extending sidewalks around Park St. and Wolf St. would allow for outdoor seating in nicer weather. Adding street trees, bike racks and bike lanes will help make this neighborhood more attractive to young families and other young professionals the city is continually looking to attract.
Being one block away from Washington Square Park and within walking distance of so many amenities, this can easily become an attractive neighborhood for young families looking for a more urban experience but still away from downtown. These mini neighborhood centers should become the focus of development within Syracuse moving forward.
While downtown continues to grow, others will be looking for neighborhoods with their own character that still offers that urban environment. As a city that grew up around the streetcar, Syracuse is filled with business and industrial areas that were once the hearts of their neighborhoods. The Northside has many of these former districts, with Washington Square being the most centrally located. If the county continues to prevent development around NBT Bank Stadium, this neighborhood can help connect the stadium to the rest of the city, providing gathering points for before and after games just a short walk away, as well as the freedom to walk to the Regional Market for groceries and entertainment at the mall.
It’s time to reinvest.
