The Connective Corridor is pleased to help co-promote Onondaga Historical Association’s book signing, Thursday, November 1 from 4 to 6 p.m. at Carnegie Library in downtown Syracuse.  OHA is a key Corridor partner, and the historic Carnegie Library is located in the Civic Strip district of the Connective Corridor at 335 Montgomery Street, Columbus Circle.

The Carnegie Library building in downtown Syracuse was completed in 1905 with $200,000 in funding from Andrew Carnegie, whose philanthropy enabled construction of libraries all over the country. Built initially to house the Syracuse Public Library, the Beaux-Arts building has elegant, classical detailing on the exterior with a grand staircase and oak-trimmed marble wainscoting gracing the interior. The structure became the home of the Central Onondaga County Public Library in 1975, and when the library moved to a larger space in the Galleries on South Salina Street in 1987, the Carnegie building was taken over by the Syracuse City School District.

The book signing event will feature Eric B. Shultz, author of Weathermakers to the World: The Story of a Company, The Standard of an Industry, a history of Willis H. Carrier and the company he founded. The book was commissioned to celebrate the 110^th anniversary of the company that bears the Carrier name. Carrier specializes in high technology heating, air-conditioning and refrigeration solutions and is a part of UTC Climate, Controls & Security, a unit of United Technologies Corp. The event will also feature remarks by officials of UTC, as well as representatives of Onondaga Historical Association. Refreshments will be catered by Parisa Restaurant.

The event is free and open to the public.

July 17, 2012 marked the 110^th anniversary of the invention of modern air conditioning by Dr. Willis H. Carrier, inventor and founder of the company that bears his name. To recognize this milestone, Carrier commissioned a 144-page, hardcover book, called Weathermakers to the World, which contains little-known vignettes about Dr. Carrier’s life and work, including the famous day, on July 17, 1902 in the midst of a steamy summer, when Willis Carrier, a young research engineer initialed a set of mechanical drawings designed to solve a humidity problem plaguing a printing plant. This design was so novel that the innovation would go on to change the world in ways even Carrier’s brilliant mind could not have imagined.

Weathermakers to the World was presented to the Library of Congress in July, 2012 by Geraud Darnis, president and CEO, UTC Climate, Controls & Security. “Books tell us who we are. They reflect our history, our science and our society,” Darnis said. “We’re releasing the book in 2012 to mark the 110^th anniversary of the invention of modern air conditioning by Dr. Willis Carrier. Just imagine a world without air conditioning.  We are healthier, more productive and more comfortable thanks to his genius.”

A leading engineer of his day, Carrier would go on to file more than 80 patents that provide man-made control over temperature, humidity, ventilation and indoor air over the course of his career.

“The Weathermakers to the World book honors Dr. Carrier’s legacy.  By daring to dream big, he improved our world with new technology that mastered the indoor environment,” said John Mandyck, chief sustainability officer, UTC Climate, Controls & Security. “Our employees around the world work every day to reinvent the industry started by Dr. Carrier through their continued dedication to innovation.”

The book was written by Eric Schultz, retired president of Sensitech, a Carrier company, and is just one part of Carrier’s celebratory events to honor the 110^th anniversary. In April, Carrier published its new website, www.WillisCarrier.com, which contains some of the content from the book, organized by significant milestones in industry leadership and innovation. Various local events and activities around the world are also being planned to mark the occasion.

Copies of the book will be available at the book signing with a 25% discount off the regular price of $19.95. Copies are also available at Onondaga Historical Association’s Gift Gallery. All proceeds of books sold at the event and in the OHA Gift Gallery go to Onondaga Historical Association.

OHA is located at 321 Montgomery St., Syracuse, NY, 13202. Hours are Wednesday to Friday, 10-4, Saturday and Sunday, 11-4. Research center hours are Wednesday to Friday, 10-2, Saturday 11-3:30. For information, go to cnyhistory.org, or call (315) 428-1864, ext. 312.