December’s Iconic Syracuse installation along the Connective Corridor:   A stunning scene of West Fayette Street from the windows of the SU Warehouse in Armory Square, painted by SU industrial design student Jesse Elliot Handelman. 

This month’s Iconic Syracuse installation, a project of the Connective Corridor at the gateway to Armory Square, is a warm painting that captures the holiday spirit.  It literally glows at sunset and looks spectacular illuminated at night.  The original painting by Jesse Handelman is paired with a vintage OHA photo of the Crown Hotel (now Kitty Hoynes).

The building in the vintage photo has a sign that reads Hotel McAuliffe, but it was actually the Crown Hotel.  Built in 1876, it was one of approximately 20 hotels in the area that accommodated the booming railroad industry, and was located directly across the street from the New York Central Railroad station.  The Crown Hotel building, at 301-307 West Fayette Street at the intersection of Franklin Street, is of Italianate design and was constructed in two phases.  It was one of a series of buildings developed along this section of West Fayette Street between 1860 and 1890 to serve the growing needs of the railroads that were once the anchor of this neighborhood.  Architecturally, the Crown Hotel building is noted for the brick work around the windows and doors, and its ornamental metal cornices.

A neighboring building at 321 West Fayette, the former Stag Hotel, was constructed in 1869 and is the oldest in a row of seven structures along that street.  Together, the Crown and the Stag were among the first hotels in the bustling commercial district.

The former New York Central Railroad station was torn down in the 1950s and is now the site of Washington Station, a project developed by the Pioneer Companies, and also the headquarters of O’Brien and Gere.

Armory Square was a commercial center of the city going back to the grand railroad era between the  1870s and the turn of the century when the New York Central and the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroads developed major depots there, spawning warehouses, commercial buildings and 20 hotels.  Many of those buildings were designed by nationally prominent architects and retain their historic character today.

The railroads left in the 1930s and the Armory Square district was largely underutilized until a resurgence in the 1970s when urban entrepreneurs reclaimed and redeveloped the area.  Among the area highlights are the Armory (now the MOST/ Museum of Science and Technology) which features a landmark medieval style castle tower, and the former DL&W Railroad Station (recently tastefully redeveloped as the corporate headquarters for the Central New York Business Journal).

The West Fayette blocks of Armory Square contain some of the loveliest architecture in the City of Syracuse, with cast iron storefronts, Italianate, Second Renaissance and New-Classical details, ornate moldings and rich decorative effects.

The Crown Hotel was rehabilitated in 1990.  First the Crown Bar and Grill, it is now Kitty Hoyne’s Irish Pub – and a very good place to catch some holiday cheer.  If you visit, be sure to notice the fine brickwork around the windows and doors, and the ornamental metal cornices in paired brackets. Look for some unique touches that owner David Hoyne has added such as the stained glass visage that was transported from Ireland. Inside you’ll find ornate details like beveled and gilded mirrors, tiled mosaic floors, and decorative tin ceilings.

As you walk along West Fayette Street, be sure to notice the recently completed Connective Corridor façade improvements at 327 West Fayette Street which included restoring, resurfacing and repainteing the large exterior wall facing the Creekwalk in a lovely terra cotta palette.   This is the historically significant Mill Pond Building which was constructed in 1878 for a wholesale grocer, A.S. Coan and Company.

You’ll see distinctive red awnings along the 200 block of West Fayette Street — also part of the Connective Corridor facade improvement program.  There are more Connective Corridor facade improvements to come here at the Caget Building and Piper-Phillips Block, among other historic buildings along that row.

Phase three of the Connective Corridor will be a complete streetscape redesign and reconstruction that will include extensive roadway and pedestrian improvements, along with green infrastructure, that will extend the entire length of West Fayette Street to West Street — which is the spine of the Connective Corridor.

The original hotels in this district are gone, but new ones are taking their place.  The historic Jefferson Clinton Hotel at Armory Square has become a premier destination hotel for discerning travelers, and a member of Historic Hotels of America.  The sleek new Inns at Armory Square is rising over Armory Square – a seven story cosmopolitan chic Marriott Courtyard and Residence Inn, now under construction.  It is located on the formerly vacant parcel just next to SU’s Warehouse, and is set to open spring 2013.

Armory Square’s historic charm now includes fine lodging, more than 40 unique restaurants, pubs  and boutique retail shops that attract visitors and students for dining, shopping and nightlife.

Jesse said, “I painted this scene because I think it is an interesting view into the ‘Heart of Syracuse’ — a unique, iconic part of downtown Syracuse. It is especially beautiful around this time of year as well, with all of the holiday lights on display.”

Congratulations to Jesse Handelman for a truly beautiful painting that captures the warmth of the holidays in Armory Square — a bustling center of activity since 1848 when city officials drained Walton’s millpond and planned the oval shaped “Armory Park.”   That’s far-sighted urban planning that has become truly transformative.

Listed on the National Register, Armory Square has the most significant collection of iconic architecture in Syracuse.  That’s all the more reason to come to the Connective Corridor and shop and dine locally this season.  There is no better place to toast the holidays!