Syracuse

More drawings from when I was in Syracuse last month. The city has lots of cool architecture, from when Syracuse's heyday when the Erie Canal passed directly through the downtown. That prosperity has long passed, but the architecture remains.

Crouse College, aka Crouse Memorial College, at Syracuse University. Located high on a hill, overlooking the campus and the city, it was the tallest structure in Syracuse at the time it was built. Built in 1889, it was funded by John Crouse, "undoubtably the richest man in Syracuse," who'd made his fortune from grocery stores and banking. It was originally called the John Crouse Memorial College for Women, in honor of his wife, Catherine , who had died in1885. Supposedly in honor of her, though not named after her. It was designed by Archimedes Russell, a prominent architect in Central New York, whose firm, King + King Architects, continues as the third oldest architectural firm in the country. It now houses the visual and performing arts departments of Syracuse University.

100 Clinton Square, aka the Community Chest Building and The Third National Bank, It was also designed by Archimedes Russell, in 1885. Third National was the first commercial bank to erect its own building. The bank closed during Great Depression. Between 1956 and1973, the building housed the Community Chest, later known as The United Way of Central NY, and then a casket company for a decade. In 1980s, it was combined with a neighboring structure into one building and converted to offices.

Maybe the most striking building I saw, the Niagara Mowhak Building. Built in 1932. this Art Deco skyscraper was the headquarters for the Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation, the largest electric utility of the time. It was designed by Melvin L. King. The facade incorporates color-changing light fixtures, and near the top is a 28' (8.5 m) tall statue called "The Spirit of Light."