Crawford & Stearns

CRAWFORD & STEARNS ARCHITECTS AND PRESERVATION PLANNERS March 28, 2007 Mr. Don Radke, Chairman Syracuse Landmarks Preservation Board City Hall Commons 201 East Washington Street Syracuse, New York 13202 Re: 1100 E. Genesee Street Syracuse, New York Dear Don: At the request of the Syracuse Landmarks Preservation Board I visited this property on March 21 and 28, 2007 for the purpose of assessing the significance and integrity of the building's exterior relative to its eligibility for Protected Site status. Limited photographs were taken and are provided as an attachment. The interior of the building is not being considered as part of this review. Building Location: The building is located in Block 373 at the southeast corner of the intersection of E. Genesee Street and University Avenue and faces north. Architectural Character & Integrity: The structure appears to have been built as a single family residence in the third quarter of the 19th century and now houses medical offices. The building is comprised of a primary mass with symmetrical half hexagon bays projecting east and west from the southeast and southwest corners. This primary mass is two stories tall with a third level enclosed by a straight (vs. curved face) Mansard-style roof. A lower two story form extends across the back of the building and immediately east of that is a one story form that may be an earlier porch that has been enclosed. Another one story mass is tucked into the inside corner made by the east side of the building and the east bay. (See photos.) A one story, wood framed, open porch is located at the center of the north facade. The porch roof is relatively flat and mostly hidden by the projected cornice and built in gutter. The roof assembly is articulated with a full wooden entablature on three sides supported by two pilasters at the building and two pairs of columns at the outer corners of the deck. The lower portions of the columns have been replaced and the wooden balustrade on the porch is not original. Wooden stairs descend northward from the deck to grade. A wooden ramp, substantially concealed by plantings, has been constructed off the east side of the porch and the deck has been raised one step to provide access for the disabled at the sill level of the front doors. Simple metal railings have been installed at the ramp and steps. Randall T. Crawford, AIA / Carl D. Stearns, AIA / Ted Bartlett, Sr Assoc / Elizabeth L. Crawford, Sr Assoc 134 Walton Street • Armory Square • Syracuse, New York • 13202 • 315/471-2162 • FAX 315/471-2965 Page 2 SLPB: 1100 E. Genesee Street March 28, 2007 The foundation is constructed of rubble limestone that has been painted. The exterior wall surfaces are covered by vinyl siding which was fitted carefully around the original trim, apparently without damage. Virtually all of the original exterior wood trim survives and is a typically eclectic combination of Gothic and Italianate often found in Second Empire (or "Mansard") style buildings. The crown moldings are bold, the cornice bedmoldings are decorated with "ball flowers" (appearing as circular decorations at the face of the cove), and flat-faced sawn ornaments almost like clovers have been applied to the frieze. A secondary belt course of similar decoration extends around the primary mass of the building below the second floor window sills. An upper cornice exists at the top edge of the Mansard roof. The windows are trimmed with wooden hood moldings and flat-faced sawn ornaments similar to those on the cornice. These hood moldings drape over the tops of the windows and occur in two forms; a flat top and a pointed arch version. Gable dormers with windows project from the Mansard roof and are topped by a fully-molded pediment. The first floor windows are flat topped and the second floor windows have pointed arches. Most have been covered by exterior aluminum storm window units and it's difficult to tell, but the windows appear to be double hung in a 1/1 configuration. At the rear one of the dormer windows is 2/2. The basement window openings have been filled in with glass blocks. The Mansard roof is faced with gray three tab asphalt shingles. The upper roof, above the upper cornice, is very shallow and appears to be covered with the same material. Roofing at the rear wings was not confirmed. The front doors have been replaced with a newer pair of metal and glass that are somewhat visually compatible with the entry. The frame and perhaps the transom above the doors may be original. The surrounding trim is more delicately detailed than the rest of the house and appears to date from later in the 19th century, but is significant in its own right. A late 20th century yellow brick chimney is tucked into the joint where the rear wing meets the west bay. The rear door and small canopy above it are later modifications as are the exhaust vents, alarm bell, metal fire escape, security lights, condensing units, and carriage lights. Most of these occur on the east facade and are less visible to the public view. Context: This block of Genesee Street retains an unusual degree of integrity. On the south side only the apartment building mid-block breaks the common setback line formed by No. 1100 and the other structures, all of which appear to date from the late 19th century. Across the street, the east and west ends of the block have been altered by the construction of one story commercial buildings, but in between the buildings also date from the late 19th century and provide a uniform, cohesive street front. At the southwest corner of the intersection of University Avenue and Genesee Street the Genesee Inn projects nearly to the line of the public sidewalk. The result is that when one moves eastward on Genesee Street the street space is relatively narrow until reaching University Avenue at which point it opens up dramatically to its original width from face of building on the north to face of building on the south. This space, which is further enhanced by many mature street and yard trees on the block, retains a substantial amount of its 19th century character. The building at 1100 also serves as a gateway to Syracuse University, anchoring one of the corners of University Avenue. Randall T. Crawford, AIA / Carl D. Stearns, AIA / Ted Bartlett, Sr Assoc / Elizabeth L. Crawford, Sr Assoc 134 Walton Street • Armory Square • Syracuse, New York • 13202 • 315/471-2162 • FAX 315/471-2965 Page 3 SLPB: 1100 E. Genesee Street March 28, 2007 History & Historic Significance: With the assistance of Dennis Connors of the Onondaga Historical Association a limited history of the house and its principal occupants has been developed. The land was acquired from Amos Benedict by Clarisa and Edward Dawson in 1866. Dawson was an officer at Onondaga Savings Bank. In about 1868 the property was purchased from the Dawsons by Lucia and Hiram Kingsley and the tax records indicate a substantial house at that time. Based on the architectural style and development of the surrounding area a construction date in the late 1860s is quite appropriate. It should also be noted that at that time the address was 244 E. Genesee Street and it wasn't till 10 or 15 years later that it was changed to 1100. The Kingsleys don't show up in city directories as residing at the house till 1870. Mr. Kingsley was a "provisioner", similar to a wholesale foods merchant, and they lived on Hawley Avenue prior to moving to E. Genesee Street. In 1886 the Kingsleys sold the house to an H. Danziger who almost immediately conveyed it to Ransom B. True and his wife Francis E. (Smith ) True. True, who in almost every reference is called "R. B. True" was a veteran of the Civil War and had been a prisoner of war in the South. He was also a prominent businessman, the local agent for the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States with offices in the Bastable Block and later the Kirk Building. True was apparently very active in local Republican politics and in 1900 was selected to be the Presidential Elector representing the 27th congressional district at the State Convention in New York City that nominated William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt. The Trues had at least one child, a son Gerald G. who was born (presumably while they lived at 1100) in 1895 and who became an attorney in Syracuse. Franklin Chase's well-known history Syracuse and its Environs notes that Gerald True had served in the Mackay-Roosevelt Hospital Unit in France during World War I, was a member of Park Central Presbyterian Church, and gave "his support to the members and candidates of the Republican Party". An entry in the Post Standard from December 30, 1900 indicates that R. B. True was in the process of building a house valued at $3,500-$4,000 on Genesee Street. It has not been determined when the Trues moved from 1100 or who occupied the house after them. A newspaper entry for 1907 notes that R. B. True was issued a building permit for $500 worth of work at 1100 and it's possible that they retained ownership after the new house was built, or even that they never moved into the new house at all. Additional information may be available and could be included in a supplement to this report as time permits. Prior Determinations of Significance: As part of an historic resource survey undertaken by the City of Syracuse in the 1970s this building was evaluated and determined to have architectural and/or historic significance.

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