Homepage

A 199-Year-Old Building Proves History Is What Keeps The City of Syracuse Still Standing 199-Year-Old Building Proves History Is What Keeps Syracuse Still Standing

By Mikhala Armstrong

Reporter: FOR THE LAST 100 YEARS, THIS BUILDING WAS THE HOME TO A MENSWEAR SHOP, BUT IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK, THEY WOULD TELL STORIES OF THE LAST TWO CENTURIES.

Reporter: THE GRANITE BUILDING IN HANOVER SQUARE IS ONE OF THE OLDEST BUILDINGS IN SYRACUSE, AND IT SHOWS IN ITS ARCHITECTURE, ORIGINAL DETAILS, AND WRITINGS LEFT ON WALLS THAT DATE BACK TO THE 18-HUNDREDS.
FOR THE NEW OWNER, GAVIN MALONEY, TAX CREDITS MAKE IT POSSIBLE TO RESTORE THIS BUILDING, BUT HIS PASSION FOR PRESERVING ITS HISTORY MAKES HIS EXPERIENCE PRICELESS.

Gavin Maloney: I can see the craftsmanship in the work, can imagine the kind of hands that were working on the trim, the floors, I’m constantly aware of the people who were involved in a building like this

Reporter: MALONEY PLANS TO RENOVATE THE BUILDING INTO APARTMENTS AND SAYS WHAT WAS LEFT BEHIND WILL BE BROUGHT INTO THE FUTURE.

Reporter: HISTORIAN ROBERT SEARING SAYS WITHOUT BUILDINGS LIKE THIS, IT LEAVES THE CITY WITHOUT AN IDENTITY.

Robert Searing: There’s something about being able to touch, see, feel, really take in, that makes things real, more real than words on a page even more real than an oral history, and you can feel that history in a way that you just can’t otherwise,
the more we can preserve the better because when you tear those buildings down, all that is left are the memories and memories fade and even photographs will eventually fade

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — A nearly 200-year-old Historic building now has a new owner. New York Developer Gavin Maloney plans to bring the vacant building back to life with apartments while keeping its historic connection to the past.

The Granite Building was built in 1822 and is one of the oldest buildings in Syracuse, three years before the city was incorporated.

The building is in Hanover Square, the earliest downtown center since the first section of the revolutionary Erie Canal was completed in 1820. Hanover Square was the site for meetings, political speeches, and reform in the 19th century, including the abolitionist and women’s rights movements.

The original owner of the building was John M. Clark, a pioneer photographer. Clark made the building a photography studio documented as the oldest photographic gallery in the city and one of the oldest in the country. Many artists occupied the studio through the post-civil war including, George Barnard, who is known to be the man who invents photo-journalism.

Onondaga Historical Association
Photograph of the Granite Building by Photographer George Barnard
© 2021 Onondaga Historical Association

According to the Onondaga Historical Association, for the last 100 years, this building has housed Koolakian’s menswear shop until New York Developer Gavin Maloney purchased the vacant building from the Koolakian family with plans to renovate the building into apartments.

Maloney specializes in the restoration of buildings from the 19th century, and it gives him greater reward honoring the original work of the building.

“If I were to just slap a few coats of paint on this building and just update the mechanical, it wouldn’t be the same thing for me, I wouldn’t enjoy it,” Maloney said.

Developers like Maloney have passion for projects like this, but they also get a tax break. In the state of New York, the Historic Homeowner Tax Credit Program will cover nearly 20% of the costs to restore historic buildings, which can be a credit of up to $50,000.

To qualify for the Historic Homeowner Tax Credit:

  • You must own and reside in the historic home in New York State in the year for which you claim the credit.
  • Costs for the project must be $5,000 or more.
  • You must receive preliminary approval and a Certificate of Completion from the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation.

The tax credit makes it possible for Maloney, but his artistic journey through the process makes the experience.

Gavin Maloney
New Owner Gavin Maloney in front of The Granite Building
© 2021 Mikhala Armstrong

According to Historian Robert Searing, there was a lack of appreciation for historic buildings during the late sixties and seventies and a shift towards wanting new and modern design. The consequences of that left a lot of landmark structures destroyed and many people displaced.

Searing says, “by saving these structures, you save the history, and you save the story.”

Searing believes the restoration of the Granite building will renew the vitality of Syracuse, and owners like Gavin Maloney will inspire others to do the same and invest in the rich history of Syracuse.

Related Articles