"We seem to have been very discriminating in Onondaga County -- we have consistently chosen from among the best when tearing down or mutilating the buildings which our generation inherited!"

By the early 1960's nearly all of the grand homes of James Street had disappeared and historically significant buildings elsewhere in the city were also beginning to fall.  It was within this context that the New York State Council on the Arts sponsored a project that would be "An appraisal of the architectural character of a region and an assessment of buildings that should be preserved as our cultural heritage."

The resulting book, researched and written by four Syracuse University architecture professors, was called Architecture Worth Saving in Onondaga County (New York State Council on the Arts, Syracuse, 1964). The effort was directed by Harley J. McKee, a nationally renowned preservation scholar. Two of McKee's books, Recording Historic Buildings for the Historic American Buildings Survey and Introduction to Early American Masonry, are still standard reference texts in use throughout the country. McKee was assisted by Patricia Day Earle, Paul Malo and Peter Andrews. Although out of print, the book remains available in local libraries. 

Architecture Worth Saving highlights more than 60 area buildings, listed here at the bottom of the page. Click on each to learn what has happened to it since 1964.

Buildings included in the project were categorized under four major headings. These were:

1. Particularly Distinguished Buildings. This category includes buildings which were, first of all, beautiful. But inclusion in this section required that they also satisfy at least one of several other criteria:

   • A unique building or of a kind rarely encountered.
   • The first of its kind; the oldest building of its type.
   • Fine interior detail and craftsmanship.
   • The work of a notable architect.
   • The best work of a given architect.
      

2. Representative Buildings. These buildings provide particularly faithful representations of the architectural styles of the day.

3. Buildings of Historical Interest. Buildings in this category figured prominently in local historical events, or incorporated materials or methods novel for the time.

4. Adaptive Uses. The authors here point to historic buildings that had outlived their original purpose but might be saved through useful adaptation to new functions.

"Architecture Worth Saving" is quoted extensively throughout Syracuse Then and Now – so much so that we've used the abbreviation "AWS" for second mentions of the book on any given page.

Selected Passages from
"Architecture Worth Saving"

Below are some introductory remarks from Architecture Worth Saving regarding the treatment of architecture in Onondaga County and Syracuse in particular. These words remain as poignant today as they were forty years ago.

"Although newer buildings deserve appreciation as well, they are more likely to receive it in the normal course of events; it is the older ones which are under the most imminent threat of demolition in the course of urban development, by gradual deterioration and general oblivion, unless they are pointed out for special attention.

"A special comment about commercial buildings like the [Syracuse Savings Bank Building, White Memorial Building, Robert Gere Bank Building] and the old Onondaga County Savings Bank, is appropriate. When they were built they ranked among the very best in the state -- indeed, in the region. We must keep them to lend distinction to our downtown streets, for unfortunately their modern counterparts cannot claim to rank among the finest.

"We are preserving things of cultural value for future generations as well as for ourselves; we cannot predict what they will appreciate but we should be cautious about destroying buildings which were once valued, which now – temporarily – happen to be out of fashion. Destruction is final.

"It is important...for each region to recognize and preserve its own architectural inheritance.  That of Onondaga County has a character not duplicated elsewhere, whose loss would be felt far beyond the boarders of the county.

"We seem to have been very discriminating in Onondaga County – we have consistently chosen from among the best when tearing down or mutilating the buildings which our generation inherited! This tendency can best be seen in the city of Syracuse, where whole streets and districts have been the victims of private neglect and public indifference, which, had they been given proper care, could still be among the most useful and attractive parts of the city.

"An introspective look at these lost pieces of fine architecture suggests the terrifying thought that in spite of all our egoistic bragging today, we may not be worthy of our inheritance. By destroying fine things and replacing them with ugly ones we make the world worse, not better. If we cannot create beauty, we should at least help preserve that which was given to us."

Part 1: Particularly Distinguished Buildings

• Gridley House, 205 E. Seneca Turnpike

• General Hutchinson House, 4311 W. Seneca Turnpike

• Dr. Ives House, East Seneca Turnpike

• Meeting house of the First Baptist Society in the Town of Pompey, Delphi Baptist Church, Delphi Falls, NY

• Small Jewett House, 81 Genesee Street, Skaneateles

• Whig Hall, NY Route 370 at Gates Road, east of Plainville

• Richard de Zeng House, Roosevelt Hall, West Lake Road, Skaneateles

• The Weighlock Building, Erie Boulevard East, Syracuse

• John Munro House, Route 5, West of Elbridge

• Syracuse State School, State Idiot Asylum, Burnet Park, Syracuse

• Onondaga County Savings Bank, Gridley Building, 101 S. Salina Street, Syracuse

• Syracuse Savings Bank, 102 N. Salina Street, Syracuse

• White Memorial Building, S. Salina and E. Washington Streets, Syracuse

• Robert Gere Bank Building, 121 East Water Street, Syracuse

Part 2: Representative Buildings

• Dan Bradley House, Marcellus

• John McViciar House 315 Genesee Street, Fayetteville

• Meeting House of the Skaneateles Baptist Society, State Street, Skaneateles

• Harvey Tolman House, 5516 S. Salina Steet, Syracuse

• Junod House, 150 N. Main Street, Jordan

• Marcellus Presbyterian Church,  Seneca Turnpike and North Street, Marcellus

• Benson House, Ridge Road, Town of Fabius

• Jonathan Hicks House, Jonathan Hicks House, 690 Vine Street, Liverpool

• Benoni Lee Law Office, Skaneateles Public Library.

• Loveless House, 77 Jordan Street, Skaneateles

• Reuel Smith House, West Lake Road, Skaneateles

• Nathaniel Searle House, 5323 S. Salina Street

• Alford Lamb House, Franklin Street Road, Skaneateles

• Dr. Tanner House, Jordan

• Church of St. John the Evangelist, 214 N. Salina Street, Syracuse

• House at 1622 S. Salina Street, Syracuse

• House at 111 W. Kennedy Street, Syracuse

• Freeborn Jewett Mansion, 11 Genesee Street, Skaneateles

• W. C. Rodger Block, N.E. Corner Main and Mechanic Streets, Jordan

• Legg Hall, Genesee Street, Skaneateles

• Greenway Place, Hawley Avenue and McBride Street, Syracuse

• Andrews Block, W. Fayette Street and S. Clinton Street, Syracuse

• Church of St. John the Baptist, Park and Court Streets, Syracuse

• McCarthy Warehouse, W. Washington Street and S. Clinton Street, Syracuse

• Grace Church, 819 Madison Street, Syracuse

• Charles Collin House, 7860 E. Genesee Street, Fayetteville

• Camillus Baptist Church, Genesee Street, Camillus

• St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Jamesville

• St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Fayette Street and Montgomery Street

• Park Avenue Methodist Church, 312 North Geddes Street

• John R. Crouse College, Syracuse University

• Kirk Fireproof Building, W. Fayette Street and S. Salina Street, Syracuse

• Alexander Brown House, 726 W. Onondaga Street, Syracuse

• Dr. Benedict House, 43 State Street, Skaneateles

• Martisco Station, Martisco

Part 3: Buildings of Historical Interest

• Smith Hall, Seneca Turnpike, Manlius

• Small Commercial Building, 15 North Main Street, Jordan

• Onondaga County Poor House, Onondaga Road, Onondaga Hill

• Botanic Infirmary, West Genesee Street, Syracuse

• Oliver Teall House, 105 South Beech Street, Syracuse

• Community Place, Skaneateles

• Hamilton White House, S. Townsend and E. Genesee, Syracuse

• Wesleyan Methodist Church, 304 E. Onondaga, Syracuse

• Hall of Languages, S.U.

• Brown-Lipe-Chapin Division of General Motors Factory, Marcellus Street, Syracuse

Part 4: Adaptive Uses

• Lucius Gleason House, Liverpool Civic Center, Liverpool

• Third Onondaga County Courthouse, Clinton Square, Syracuse