Harrington: If You Could See Her Now

Ifyou could see her now: The city of Syracuse is polishing more than its image.

vvh~J~~~~~n into Syracuse prior to 1990 may share this memory with Joe Mareane: "As you drove over the rise approaching the city, you passed the Syracuse sign, and off to the right was a scrap yard. A huge scrap yard. There was a billboard right over it and from that billboard emerged a three-dimensional nose. That said a w hole lot to me about Syracuse."

If you've somehow forgotten the Lord & Taylor, a nd for Carousel Landing, a dis­ scrap yard and nose, you might recall count shopping center that w ill soon stretch to the acres a nd acres of adjacent oil tanks. the south. These merged into the abandoned facto­ You 're nea r the southeast corner of ries and vacant lots of the city's near here. The lake and its northwest side. Then you were there­ grimy urban shore, long treated as the city . cesspool, are being reclaimed. Housing, "What a devastating way to present your offices, restaurants, and a marina are coming community," says Mareane, a 1979 to the parcel known as the Inner Harbor. Maxwell School graduate who is vice pres­ The New York State Depa rtment of ident for enterprise development at the Transportation, w hic h has moved barges Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce, through here for decades, recently blessed a nd former director of economic develop­ the project with $ 15 million. m ent for the city. Continue toward the city and you'll find Travel that same route today and you'll be many of yesteryear's broken streets are now surprised by the v iew. On the site of the among Syracuse's finest. Stylish streetlamps, sprawling scrap-metal yard sits a sparkling brick sidewalks, gardens, and a park complete $270-million mall. Carousel C enter offers 160 with benches, pergolas, statuary, and flowering stores, many new to Central N ew Y ork. Customers trees replace longtime neglect. W elcome to Franklin flock there d a ily from as far away as Canada and Square, w here everything old is new again, and every­ Pennsylvania. thing new blends in beautifully . The abandoned facto­ The last oil tanks are coming down to make way for ries now host restaurants, cafes, prestigious office

b y L a u r 1 e R o o t Harrington

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SYRAC USE UNIV E RS ITY MA G A Z IN E Published by SURFACE, 1994 1 Magazine, Vol. 10, Iss. 4 [1994], Art. 6

space, and fashionable condominiums. New brick buildings on the square are home to lucky senior c itizens who moved fast enough to secure a spot. Mareane's assessment today? "One of the most remarkable urban trans­ formations in America." that's tli e ""'Y of Symu" University's hometown in 1994: There's a remarkable transformation underway. lf it's been five y ears or more since y ou visited, y ou've got a lot of catching up to do. H ead south from Franklin Squa re and you'll come to Armory Square, named for the series of buildings that once housed New York's 5 1st National for outstanding renovation. Converted The Carousel Center (with to a multiuse building housing retail, Gua rd R egiment. an artist's rendering of the ln the mid-nine t eenth cen t ury , commercial, and residential space, the Gua rdsm e n m a r c h e d in the oval­ L a bor T emple is best know n as the new Lord & Taylor store, shaped park h ere. Stable s lined the location of Pastabilities, one of Armory which is scheduled to open perimeter. Over the y ears the stables Square's fi r st and most suc c e ssful gave way to hotels, boarding houses, restaurant/bars. in October) houses four warehouses, factories, and shops. In Through a variety of other partner­ full-service restaurants, a the thirties, the railroad moved out of ships, Doucette has rescued a half dozen 13-eatery food court, and downtow n, taking with .it most of the other buildings, a ll char ming relics of life a nd purpose of Ar m ory Squa r e. urban America's golden age. These struc­ 160 stores, many ofwhich D ecay a nd d ecline d efined the n ext tures survived because the land w asn't are new to the Central New five d ecades. valuable enough to make tearing them "Armory Square w as our skid row," down worthwhile, Doucette explains. York area. says Robert Doucette, attorney, devel­ That curse has matured into a blessing. In ope r, a nd u r ban preservationist. Its 1984, Armory Square earned historic dis­ territory was marked by broken glass, trict status. F alcone, founder and senior partner of vacant buildings, drunks, p r ostitutes, " Tha t was impo rta nt b ecau se it the Pio n eer G roup a nd Pio n eer p ornography shops, and dow n-and-out allowed for tax credits, w hich were a big D evelopment, and a 1957 S U School b a r s. That was the situation whe n thing at t he t ime," says Doucette. "It of M anagem ent graduate. Doucette, w ho g radua t e d fro m the encouraged more development." F a lcone is sp eaking from his office M a xwell S c hoo l in 1976 a nd the Doucette's latest project rises today in at 250 S outh Clinton, on the dividing College of Law in 1983, teamed w ith the long-vacant lot that marks the heart line between the historic district a nd la ndscap e architect G eorge Curry to of Armory Square. Center Armory will the rest of downtow n. A cap tivating do something about the area. bring 38 two-story tow nhouses to the postmodern tribute to brick, stone, "W e were frustrated by the fact there n eighborhood, 28,000 squa r e feet of granite, and g la ss, the building rose was no dow ntown d evelopme nt, " retail and commercial space, and under­ from a vacant lot to offer six stories of D oucette says. "Fina lly we said, 'Let's g ro und parking fo r 12 0 cars. Mor e proof t hat dow ntown Syracuse has a not talk about this anymore; let's do it."' important, it w ill change the face of the bright future. Their first project was the La b o r square and the city. Within its 240,000 squa re feet, 250 T em p le Building, a four-st o ry Vic­ "What we are trying to do is create South C lin ton houses rou g hly 6 00 torian sporting detailed brick ornamen­ an u r ba n lifestyle in Sy racuse," says employees of AT&T, D ean W itter, and tatio n across a multicolored fa~ade. It Doucette . "A lot of p eople h ave the Pioneer, am o ng others. Falcon e also was vacan t a nd in d esper a t e straits miscon ception t hat y ou n eed to be a brou g h t th e city's finest re stau rant, when Doucette and C urry purchased it really big c ity t o have a n u rban P ascale, to this site from a much small­ for $45,000 in 1983 . Two years a nd lifestyle. It 's not true. In many ways, er locatio n in a residen tia l neigh bor­ $600,000 later, the building claimed a Sy racuse is the perfect place for this." hood on the north side. sh ar e of t h e D owntown Committee's H e's not a lo ne. "I think this area "W e've p robably been responsible E nvironmenta l Improvem ent Award could explode," says Mic h ael J. for more d evelopment in t h e down-

19 https://surface.syr.edu/sumagazine/vol10/iss4/6 S U MMER 1994 2 Harrington: If You Could See Her Now

With construction of the and an MBA from the School of Management in $80-million OnCenter 1977. " I haven't been (right), Syracuse has there in years." No need. rejuvenated its reputation The once-grand Hotel Syracuse, 70 years old as a convention city. Many this year, is being conventioneers-and restored to its former glory at a cost of $7 mil­ locals-opt to spend their lion. Soon SU's popular free time in Armory former football coach, Dick MacPherson, will Square (below), home to open a sports bar on the some of the city's most premises. Although the interesting and eclectic bean counters have said tear it down, new owner shops and restaurants. Michael Bennett believes the hote l is worth the effort. Like-minded citi­ Center-has rejuvenated Syracuse's zens have purchased a second chance century-old reputation as Convention for dozens of aging landmarks. In one City. Among OnCenter's coups: the instance, the hopeless interior was 1999 national tournament and conven­ scraped out and a modern parking tion of the American Bowling Con­ garage built in its place. Only t he most gress, which will bring an estimated careful observer can discern the 40,000 bowlers and $38.7 million to garage ramps behind the nineteenth­ town. century windows of South Warren There's talk of an expansion across Street's Larned Building. the street for the nationally respected "People have a mindset that eco­ , now 25 years nomic development means steel gird­ old, and speculation that l.M. Pei him­ ers rising into the sky," says Mareane. self may return to design the addition. "Around here, they should be paying The castle-like former armory on more attention to all the debris chutes West Jefferson now houses the Milton coming down from old buildings J. Rubenstein Museum of Science and undergoing renovation." Technology. By 1995, it will include an The city was surprised to learn in Omnifax theater. 1993 that more than $1 billion had A large and diverse group of been invested in new development investors has united to bring a n w ithin its boundaries in the previous town area than anyone else over the American Hockey League team to the seven years. That's a big number for a past 10 years," says Falcone, whose War Memorial. A test game last c ity e ncompassing only 25 square credits include the One Park Place December between Binghamton a nd miles. "My guess is we h ad higher and Financial Plaza office buildings Hershey sold out easily. The Syracuse investment spending per capita than downtown, the new Unity Mutual and Symphony Orchestra survived a test any other city of our size in the coun­ Royal Insurance buildings in Franklin of its viability. is thriv­ try," says Mareane. Square, a Franklin Square renovation, ing. And the city's shopping options, The city recently invested $ 10 million and many other projects. Both One t h a nks largely to Carousel Center, in cosmetic improvements to the central Park Place a nd 250 South Clinton n ow rival those of the Big Apple­ business district - trees, sidewalks, tra nsformed vacant lots into prime rev­ Bonwit T eller, Banana Republic, benches, and colorful new streetlamps enue-generating real estate. Pottery Barn, Williams-Sonoma, in a historic period design. Some Eddie Bauer, Ann Taylor. thought it a poor use of dwindling city When Carousel Center General resources; others, like Doucette and Manager Barbara Ashkin came to Mareane, viewed it as essential. what Syracuse from New J ersey to attend "Nobody respects a place that's not SU in 1970, she viewed Central N ew cared for," Doucette says. "If we're not else ;, go;ng on? pJ,nty. York as a retail wasteland. "I used to w illing to do that for downtown, then In the past five years or so the city has t ravel to New York to s hop at w e're sending a very clear message­ refurbished its airport, zoo, and War Bloomingdale's," says Ashkin, who to the person on the street, and to the Memorial. The $80-million Onondaga earned her bachelor's degree from the person considering relocating a busi­ County Convention Center- On- College of Arts and Sciences in 1974 ness here."

20 Published by SURFACE, 1994 S Y RA CUSE UN IV E R S ITY MAG AZ I N E 3 Syracuse University Magazine, Vol. 10, Iss. 4 [1994], Art. 6

employees could probably save money Development plans for living outside New York State, they the Onondaga Lake Inner Mhen find reasons to stay. The locals know the list by heart: easy access to the Harbor project call for the optimi•m got. too heady, Adirondacks, the , and shops, restaurants, and a Roy Bernardi, a lifelong Syracusan the Thousand Islands; skiing, boating, marina. Plans are again in elected mayor last November after 20 swimming, fishing, hunting, and hik­ years as city auditor, is quick to point ing all within minutes; major-city con­ the works to clean up veniences and amenities without urban out there are problems. Despite real polluted Onondaga Lake. estate investment, property tax rev­ headaches; there's culture; there's enues are declining while the demand sports; there's no traffic to speak of; base that will for city services continues to rise. State the schools are good; health care is map to a solid economic quality of life and aid is down to pre-1986 levels. The world-class; the weather keeps us in support an enviable small-scale rival for multi-million-dollar surplus the city the national news. make the city a Houston, or San has preserved for more than a decade The challenge is the future, to deter­ Atlanta, Montreal, will be depleted this year. mine "what next?" and "where to?" Francisco. "The cupboard is indeed bare," "Let's say you could get a $200-mil­ Really? Syracuse? "There's nothing Bernardi said in his March 1994 State lion loan or grant," suggests MDA Barclay is adamant. do if you put your mind to it," of the City address. But Bernardi, the President Douglas Barclay, an attor­ you can't "If there are laws that are not recipient of a 1973 SU master's degree ney and former state senator. "What he says. get them changed. If in counseling and guidance, also said would you do with it?" helpful, you can constitution has to the Inner Harbor project wiLL be com­ The foremost experts in the nation the New York State that can be done. Just pleted, lakeside development wiLL con­ are being assembled to address just be changed, done it doesn't tinue, and plans for a new Triple-A that. The MDA, a nonprofit economic­ because we haven't How did Atlanta, baseball stadium, an intermodal trans­ development association composed of mean we can't. and San Francisco portation center, and regional market area business leaders, will hire elite Montreal, Houston, they are? They just renovations wiLL go forward. consultants in urban planning and become the cities did it. There's no reason we can't." The mayor and his colleagues in development to draft-with input from county government, at the chamber, the community-"Vision 2010," Maybe he's right. • and at the Metropolitan Development Syracuse's road map to the future. Association (MDA) are scrappers. "It will address everything from edu­ oua! They aggressively-and successfully­ cation to transportation, from health Laurie Root Harrington, who earneo a Art.1 sell this town. Despite New York care to jobs," says Barclay, a 1961 SU bache!or'.J oegree from the CoL!e_qe of ano a State's reputation for high taxes and College of Law graduate and chair of ano Science.~ ano Newhowe in 198.], fees, employers come, stay, and the University's board of trustees. The ma.~ter'.J in Eng!idh in 1985, id a freelance expand. Although businesses and MDA plans for Syracuse to follow this writer who enjoy.1 Living in Syractlde.

21 https://surface.syr.edu/sumagazine/vol10/iss4/6 SUMMER 1994 4