Franklin Square, Syracuse

This article is about the Syracuse, New York neighborhood. For the Nassau County, New York hamlet, see Franklin Square, New York.
Franklin Square

Franklin Square is a former industrial neighborhood, turned residential and commercial, in Syracuse, New York. Officially it is part of the larger Lakefront neighborhood, which in turn is one of Syracuse's 26 officially recognized neighborhoods.[1]

History

The neighborhood sprang up as a result of the salt industry in Syracuse.[2] From 1797 to 1904 around 12 million tons of salt were produced in the area.[3]: 147  After the Civil War, with the salt industry on the decline, Franklin Square became an automobile production area. The H. H. Franklin Manufacturing Company, from which the neighborhood's name comes from, produced cars in this area from 1902 to 1934.[4] Transmission producer New Process Gear had a factory on Franklin Square before they closed it and moved to the Syracuse suburb of DeWitt in 1961.[3]: 148, 152  Franklin Square also held manufacturing of handbags, textiles, telephone booths, and dried milk.[5]

Redevelopment

By the 1980s nearly all of Franklin Square's industry had vanished.[6] The Pyramid Companies began working to redevelop the square in 1987. They began by remaking an old factory for New Process Gear into office space. The company's head, Robert Congel sold his last property in the area in 2013.[6]

The Pyramid Companies also developed the park in the center of Franklin Square, instead of paying taxes.[3]: 148  This included adding a statue of Benjamin Franklin and a fountain.[5] The project to revitalize Franklin Square was studies as a "model project" in a 1991 article in Economic Development Review.[7]

References

  1. ^ "Lakefront District Profile" (PDF). Syracuse Government. 2010.
  2. ^ Hunter, Tom (August 5, 2004). "Historian will guide walkers on tour of Franklin Square". The Syracuse Herald-American. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Hardin, Evamaria (1993-02-01). Syracuse Landmarks: An AIA Guide to Downtown and Historic Neighborhoods. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 978-0-8156-2599-5.
  4. ^ ""The Lofts" at Franklin Square". Onondaga Historical Association. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
  5. ^ a b Case, Dick (July 11, 2004). "Doug Sutherland and Franklin Square". The Post Standard. Retrieved 2022-01-17 – via Syracuse Then and Now.
  6. ^ a b "Destiny USA developer Robert Congel sells prominent Franklin Square office building for $7 million". syracuse. 2013-06-06. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
  7. ^ Hopkins, Susan E.; Rupp, Laura (Fall 1991). "Reclaiming Vacant Industrial Space: The Case of Franklin Square, Syracuse, New York". Economic Development Review. 9: 52–56. ProQuest 230088840.

43°3′25″N 76°9′26″W / 43.05694°N 76.15722°W / 43.05694; -76.15722


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