Over the past 10-15 years, Downtown Syracuse has seen a number of its architectural treasures preserved, renovated, and reoccupied, bringing more life back to the city’s center. One outlier of this trend is the Byrne Square on West Genesee Street and Franklin Street. While its basement is occupied by Studio 54, the rest of the building remains vacant, with remnants of its dance studio past evident all around; large mirror walls, barres, wooden floors, and a large billboard on top advertising “License to Dance - Arthur Murray.”
Some would argue that this building suffers from a lack of parking, with most street spots already taken up by Dinosaur BBQ and Apizza customers, but in many ways the availability of this parking is what hinders this space. West Willow Street, which borders the triangular building to the north, is rarely used for traffic, and the little traffic that does come through is often drivers looking for a shortcut, leading to high speeds and little awareness of their surroundings. Parked cars often back up to the corners, even with parking restrictions in place, causing poor visibility for people on foot. The western intersection, over 100 feet wide, has no crosswalk and any traffic turning onto the street often picks up speed to avoid oncoming traffic.
Here, there are a few solutions to improve the appeal of this location and make it safer to access.
The first, and probably less controversial option, extend the sidewalk and have West Willow Street square off with West Genesee Street. This would require drivers turning onto the street to slow down to make the turn instead of continuing on at the same speed. This would also provide shorter distances for people to walk across, making walks from the nearby Creek Walk more pleasant and appealing, as well as provide extra sidewalk space for outdoor dining opportunities. Utilizing bump outs at each corner would also prevent cars from blocking crosswalks and sight lines, making it safer to cross.
The second option is to make West Willow Street into a one-way street heading west and squared off as discussed above. This alone prevents some of the faster moving vehicles from turning onto the street from West Genesee, while also providing opportunities to expand the sidewalk, add in bike facilities, and create a more welcoming place to walk to hang out.
The third, more ambitious option, is to close West Willow Street off from traffic. Remake the street as a pedestrian plaza and allow a new building tenant to control the space, creating significant outdoor dining opportunities, as well as performance spaces. The plaza space should continue down into the Franklin-Willow intersection, functioning as a raised intersection, a significant traffic calming measure that would fit perfectly in a space surrounded by popular bars and restaurants.
All of these options options should be paired with expanded sidewalks around Dinosaur BBQ, a place that consistently has lines outside the door on a narrow strip on concrete, and Apizza, which currently forces people to walk around cars parked in the space a sidewalk should be. It may also be worth exploring partnering with the parking lot that makes up the fourth corner of this intersection. The lot sees heavy use during traditional work hours Monday thru Friday, but very little use at night and on the weekends. Using this as a share space for the restaurants’ customers at night would help lower the competition for on-street parking and allow that space to be used for other things.
Finally, time to consider what type of business make work well in this space. With Dinosaur BBQ, Apizza, Press Room Pub, and Trexx Night Club within an easy walking distance, Byrne Square could become the third major dining/nightlife spot in Downtown Syracuse. Hanover and Armory Squares benefit from the close proximity of multiple bars and restaurants with relatively slow vehicle traffic. Part of this is thanks to narrowed streets and some street closures. Byrne Square could be the missing piece that uplifts this entire district.
Considering the uniqueness of the building, and its history as a dance studio, Byrne Square has the potential to become a unique bar/restaurant experience where each floor has its own theme and vibe. This is similar to the concept of Tequila Cowboy in Pittsburgh, which is home to four different bars that are interconnected (country, karaoke, modern, and casual). Part of the first floor, where the dance studio used to be, should be turned back into a dance floor and named “Licensed to Dance” to honor the former occupant. The top floor can be used as a casual lounge with views of the city. The basement, currently occupied by Studio 54, could be reinvented as a speak easy or a wine cellar, catering to a more upscale clientele. During the afternoon and early evening, lunch and dinner can be served indoors on the dance floor and out on the newly expanded sidewalk/plaza area, while dining can continue at night on the top floor with snacks provided in the speak easy/wine cellar in the basement.
With or without following my suggestion on how to bring the Byrne Square building back to life, the improvements on the street will give the building a real chance at reinvention while lifting up the surrounding buildings as well. Reclaiming space for people instead of cars is how you build a stronger Downtown and Byrne Square is some of the lowest hanging fruit in the Syracuse area.