Columbus Circle
The idea to erect a monument to Christopher Columbus in Syracuse came from a group of Italian-Americans. Initially the statue was to modeled after one of Columbus located in Florence, Italy, but this idea was later set aside. In 1928 a contest was organized to select a design for the monument. After a few years of deliberation, it was decided to build the monument at St. Mary's Circle between the courthouse and the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception. The monument was finally built in 1932.
Onondaga County Courthouse
The Onondaga County Courthouse, built from 1904 to 1907, was designed in the Neo-Classical style by architect Archimedes Russell. This style was typical for government buildings of this era. The courthouse is located in the historic area of the city, near the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception. It was listed on the National Registry of Historic Places in 1980. Today it serves as the Onondaga County and New York State 5th Judicial
Syracuse City Hall
Syracuse City Hall has an unusual design for a civic building. It was designed in the Romanesque Revival style by architect Charles E. Colton and was built between 1889 and 1893 using Onondaga limestone. The building has a 165-foot-high bell tower. There was some controversy regarding the bell, as the mayor wanted to use the bell from the original city hall that was demolished in order to make room for the new building. The architect opposed this idea, and the mayor decided to fire him. The mayor won out and the bell from the original city hall was in use until 1939, when it was removed, melted, and used to help the war efforts during World War II. In 1977 City Hall was renovated. A decade later, an electronic carillon was installed in the tower along with a decorative, brass-plated, aluminum bell.
State Tower Building
The State Tower Building is a high-rise building. Completed in 1928, at a cost of $1.5 million, the building remains the highest in Syracuse to date. It has 23 floors and rises 95.4 meters (312 feet) into the air. The building was designed as a large office building with the first 10 floors being large, and the top floors being setback and smaller such that one entity might occupy an entire floor. On the roof of the tenth floor was a deck on which there was a full service restaurant.The building is made of steel and concrete with a limestone, terra-cotta and brick facade. The architect was Thompson & Churchill. It was renovated in 2003.
Hanover Square
Hanover Square is a triangular-shaped public park located at the intersection of Warren, Water, and East Genesee streets. The triangle was originally named Veteran's Park. It was renamed to Hanover Square after the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument was dedicated in Clinton Square in 1910 and the function of commemorating Syracuse's war dead was shifted there.The trianguler shape of the park came as a result of the city's new grid street system in the early 19th century which was "superimposed on the diagonal route" of early Genesee Turnpike (now known as Genesee Street).Listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1976, the square is an intact, mainly nineteenth century historic district.Hanover Square has changed little since the Civil War. Several of the buildings date to the period that ran from 1830 through 1860. Newer buildings date to the late 19th century, such as the Onondaga County Savings Bank which was constructed in 1896.
Niagara Mohawk Building
The Niagara Mohawk Building is an art deco classic building. It is a building of the Niagara Mohawk power utility company that is now a division of National Grid plc. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Niagara Hudson Building in 2010.The Niagara Hudson Building in Syracuse is an outstanding example of Art Deco architecture and a symbol of the Age of Electricity. Completed in 1932, the building became the headquarters for the nation’s largest electric utility company and expressed the technology of electricity through its modernistic design, material, and extraordinary program of exterior lighting.With its central tower and figurative winged sculpture personifying electric lighting, the powerfully sculpted and decorated building offered a symbol of optimism and progress in the context of the Great Depression.It was nominated by New York State's Board of Historic Preservation for listing on the National Register of Historic Places in December, 2009.
Jefferson Clinton Hotel
The Jefferson Clinton Hotel was built in 1927. During the Great Depression, the hotel was taken over by the City of Syracuse and was renamed the Dome Hotel. This hotel closed in 1986 and remained vacant until 2001 when it reopened as Hawthorn Suites. The hotel has since won several awards, the most notable being 'Hotel of the Year' in 2003.
