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Niagara Mohawk Building

Coordinates: 43°3′4.28″N 76°9′22.25″W / 43.0511889°N 76.1561806°W / 43.0511889; -76.1561806
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Niagara Hudson Building
Niagara Mohawk Building
Niagara Mohawk Building is located in New York
Niagara Mohawk Building
Location300 Erie Boulevard West, Syracuse, New York
Coordinates43°3′4.28″N 76°9′22.25″W / 43.0511889°N 76.1561806°W / 43.0511889; -76.1561806
Area5.26 acres (2.13 ha)[2]
Built1932
ArchitectMelvin L. King,
Bley and Lyman[3]
Architectural styleArt Deco
NRHP reference No.10000361[1]
Added to NRHPJune 14, 2010[1]
The art deco Niagara Mohawk Building in Syracuse, New York, on Tuesday, January 18, 2022. Photo by Ted Shaffrey

The Niagara Mohawk Building is an art deco classic building in Syracuse, New York. The building was built in 1932 and was headquarters for the Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation, what was "then the nation's largest electric utility company".[4] The company has since been acquired by merger into National Grid plc.[5]

The Art Deco building was designed by Syracuse architect Melvin L. King in a consultation with Buffalo firm Bley and Lyman.[3] The building's recessed stories resemble an ancient ziggurat or step pyramid, while other parts embrace modern technology and contemporary innovation. The steel and masonry structure is adorned with a 28-foot-tall (8.5 m) stainless steel statue called "The Spirit of Light" which depicts a winged figure representing of the spread of electricity. In-between the display windows are tube lights, hidden behind chrome panels.[6]

According to the National Park Service:

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. The design elements applied by architects Melvin L. King and Bley & Lyman transformed a corporate office tower into a widely admired beacon of light and belief in the future. 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.[7]

The art deco Niagara Mohawk Building in Syracuse, New York, on Tuesday, January 18, 2022. Photo by Ted Shaffrey

During World War II, the exterior lights were turned off as part of wartime blackouts. A 1999 renovation restored the lighting system's original vitality and enabled it to light up the building in different colors, thanks to the work of lighting designer Howard Brandston. The new lighting system was unveiled in May 2000.[6][8][9] This renovation also fixed several other exterior details. The Vitrolite panels were repaired, and look-alike glass panels were installed to replicate ones that were missing. The "Spirit of Light" statue was cleaned and polished, and rehabilitation crews remodeled the chrome nickel marquee.[10]

The building was listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places in June 2010.[1] The listing was announced as the featured listing in the National Park Service's weekly list of June 25, 2010.[11] It had then been nominated by New York State's Board of Historic Preservation for listing on the National Register of Historic Places in December 2009.[12]

In 2023, maintenance crews discovered an issue with the exterior lighting system in the upper portion of the building. The year after, in January, National Grid announced plans to repair and upgrade the lighting system, following a restoration of the roof and facade.[13]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Announcements and actions on properties for the National Register of Historic Places for June 25, 2010". Weekly Listings. National Park Service. June 25, 2010. Retrieved 2010-09-01.
  2. ^ Anthony Opalka and Michael A. Stanton (April 2010). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Niagara Mohawk Building" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved 2010-09-01. (52 pages, with 16 historic photos and 19 photos from 2009 and 2010)
  3. ^ a b "Our History". King + King Architects. Syracuse, New York: King + King Architects. Archived from the original on 25 July 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  4. ^ Eileen Larrabee and Dan Keefe (December 8, 2009). "State Board Recommends 28 Properties for Historic Register Listing". New York State Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation.
  5. ^ "National Grid Buys Niagara Mohawk for $8.9 Billion". EnergyOnline.com. LCG Consulting. September 5, 2000.
  6. ^ a b Nyren, Ron (Spring 2023). "7 Dazzling Art Deco Buildings for Architecture Admirers". Preservation Magazine. National Trust for Historic Preservation.
  7. ^ "Weekly Highlight: The Niagara Hudson Building, Onondaga County, New York".
  8. ^ Croyle, Johnathan (February 11, 2019). "60-Second Syracuse: The city's Art Deco Treasure". Post-Standard. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  9. ^ Kirst, Sean (November 3, 2014). "A brighter Syracuse skyline: How a lighting master illuminated the old Niagara Mohawk Building". Post Standard. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  10. ^ "Case Study: Niagara Hudson Building, New York". National Park Service. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  11. ^ John Mariani (2009-12-16). "National Grid building, portion of Syracuse's Strathmore area nominated for historic lists". Post Standard.
  12. ^ Dean, Ryan (January 22, 2024). "Your Stories Q&A: What happened to Niagara Mohawk building's colorful lights?". WSYR-TV. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
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