Armory Square Goes Urban

By Stephanie Mangano, Kelly Saco and Josh Schneider-Weiler

If you build it, they will come.

That’s the mentality of Syracuse downtown developers, who are revamping Armory Square with new and restorative building projects in hopes of attracting larger crowds.

“Cities die hard,” said Irene Callisto, Armory Square’s Isadora shop owner. “This is still a city with a pulse. I do believe that with the right people we can turn this around.” Isadora is a high-end women’s lingerie and loungewear store on Walton Street.

It’s a heartbeat that’s growing louder. Construction workers pound away at restoration in the shadows of four story brick buildings. Horse-drawn carriages rattle through the streets to the tune of retailers’ holiday music. It is an attempt to bring back life to Franklin Street, Walton Street, Clinton Street and Jefferson Street: the four streets that make up Armory Square.



The 1950’s suburbanization of American cities drew life out of downtown Syracuse, leaving run down, unkempt historic buildings and warehouses that made up what is now known as Armory Square. These historic buildings, like the Bentley Settle Building, the Stoop building and the Kirk Building, are finally getting their facelift alongside a flood of modern developments. “The Salina Street corner was at one time Syracuse’s 5th Avenue,” said Nick Petragnani, Vice President and Regional Director of The Community Preservation Company, reminiscing about the department stores and crowds that consumed Salina Street, a block away from Armory Square.

Downtown may be reinventing its image with the urban experience, Petragnani said. “I don’t think you’ll ever get the larger department stores back downtown in Syracuse anyway. But that’s okay, because we’ve got other cool stuff going on.”

The Community Preservation Company (CPC) is a not-for-profit financing organization that boosts infrastructure in cities like Syracuse. CPC can provide permanent financing, which allows investors to take out 30- year loans at a fixed six percent interest. Over the last six years, CPC has invested about $33 million in downtown Syracuse, which translates to 245 units and 15 historic renovations, the latest being the Kirk Building on Clinton Street.



“It brings people back downtown, gets the lights on at night, brings activity back to the area,” Petragnani said of the many development projects in Armory Square. “Then retail starts to come back. I think there is more of a shift downtown because they say the malls are dying and that the trend is really the urban experience.”

The urban experience is about creating an atmosphere where people have a variety of things to do, said Amanda Nicholson, Assistant Professor of Retail Management in the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University. A cappuccino with friends or a mid-afternoon beer stimulate conversation and are examples of an urban experience, she said.

Tony Ortega, President of the Armory Square Association says he is optimistic about the urban experience Armory Square is creating. “People will make a day of it and come out with all the stuff there is to do,” he said.

Urban Outfitters is the second global brand, after Starbucks, to open a store in Armory Square. “I think that is a sign we are reaching that level now,” Robert Doucette, President of Armory Development & Management said.

“The corporate real estate departments of companies like Starbucks and Urban Outfitters have very specific qualifications. We either meet those qualifications or we don’t. And for the longest time Syracuse did not. I guess in their analysis they feel they can make money here now.”



A mostly vacant downtown and a modest median family income of $35, 671 were large deterrents for investors and developers, Nicholson said.

“Syracuse on paper doesn’t look particularly enticing but they [Urban Outfitters] were smart enough to figure out that right here there are 20,000 [students], and then LeMoyne, all between the ages of 18-30 who have disposable income and who shop in stores like this when they can.”

Joel Shapiro, owner of four stores in Armory Square, including Mr. Shop Syracuse says he is excited by Urban Outfitter’s announcement. “I believe it was a strategic move by Urban Outfitters,” Shapiro said. “They saw an opportunity to be successful here.”

Professor Nicholson said it’s a prime example of the Law of Retail. “More is more, not less is more in this case,” Nicholson said. “You actually need more people to gather around. That was the whole concept with the mall.”

Storeowners anticipate the increased number of stores and crowds that will be drawn to the downtown area. “I think Urban Outfitters chose Armory Square because of all the positive things that are happening here,” Ortega said.

One example is the Candlelight Series. The summer event brings street side dining and live music performances to Center Armory. This past summer welcomed more than 4,500 visitors. This year it will be celebrating its 25th anniversary.

“I think Urban Outfitters is great for downtown,” Armory Development & Management Doucette seconded. “They’re a traffic generator.”

That traffic includes the 20,000 students that Nicholson referenced. “SU has a huge presence in Armory Square with the [Fashion] Warehouse in downtown, free shuttles to the Warehouse and downtown with Centro,” Shapiro said.



Storeowners in Armory Square say they worry that the location and appearance of the Centro hub actually detracts from visitors. Trash-filled sidewalks, broken windows and plywood- boarded buildings, surround the Centro transfer hub located on Salina St. one block from Armory Square.

“There’s no reason downtown should look that way,” Armory Square’s Isadora shop owner Callisto said. “There’s just no excuse for that.”

“The city has been dragging its feet, doing a lot of talking without backing it up” Janette Welch, a sales associate at Joette’s Accessory Boutique seconded.

When asked what the city is doing to revitalize downtown, Kathleen Joy (D-At large) said they are leaving it up to investors, developers and retails. Joy said the Centro hub would be moved to Harrison St., which will make the Salina St. cleaner and fresher.

Repeated calls requesting comments from Syracuse Common Councilors and members of the Neighborhood Preservation, Downtown and Metropolitan planning committee such as Van Robinson (D-At large), Patrick Hogan (D-2nd District) and Lance Denno (D-5th District) were not returned.

“Public space is so much to the people who are using it. That speaks volumes that we don’t care” said Callisto, who grew up here. She compared her downtown Syracuse experience to living in Burlington, Vermont.



The lack of code enforcement plays a huge role Syracuse’s appearance, she said. Advertisements are sprayed on plywood boards that cover vacant storefronts.

In Vermont, putting up a sign requires a permit and applications need to be sent to the city. “There [Burlington] things are taken care of. But here it’s City Hall and you might as well be trying to contact the moon,” Callisto said.

Callisto decided to take matters into her own hands. Along with a fellow storeowner, she decorates the small park area in front of Starbucks. She has hung up wreaths, wrapped the shop clock with ribbon, and put lights on the bushes. “I’m doing it because it is a reflection on my business,” Callisto said.

The park’s decorations aren’t the only thing Callisto has done to help clean up downtown’s image. In the five years she has spent living downtown, Callisto has spent four years trimming the bushes in that same park. “It’s just neglected. Everything is done half-ass backwards. I’ve never seen anything like it,” she said.

“I think the city has not lived up to its potential,” Joette’s Accessory Boutique sales associate Welch said. Developers like Doucette and Petragnani are much more optimistic for the future of not only Armory Square, but also downtown as a whole.

“It hasn’t completely pushed people away from investing downtown,” Vice President of CPC Petragnani said. “There has been a lot of interest because there is only one percent vacancy rate in downtown Syracuse. If a building can be sure it’s going to be leased or preleased, then the developers are going to jump on that.”

A walk around Armory Square can confirm that several offices and condominium buildings are well along their way in construction such as the Jefferson-Clinton Commons.



Isadora shop owner Callisto still says, “Syracuse needs a shot of Prozac.” Urban Outfitters and the development projects of CPC, Armory Development & Management and similar companies may just be that needed anti-depressant for the remainder of downtown Syracuse.

The Armory Square Association says they are more optimistic of downtown Syracuse’s current state. “Everyone sees a brighter future down the road,” Armory Square Association President Ortega said.

“Going forward the success of the store [Urban Outfitters] is something people will be watching very closely. It’s important because they are going to be the benchmark if they can pull this out,” Professor Nicholson said.

With an anticipated arrival of late spring, Urban Outfitters is making a grand entrance. Leases have been signed on the historic McArthur Building at 221 Walton Street. Urban Outfitters will use all three floors with its clothing, shoes, accessories and furnishings that appeal to the hipster crowd. “It’s a great atmosphere downtown. The vibe of Syracuse is Urban Outfitters,” Scott Dunseath, event promoter for Armory Square retailers and events said.



Downtown Syracuse is divided into areas like Armory Square, all of whom have their own unique characteristics. Armory Square is finally reinventing its reputation from the factory district of the 1960’s to the young and hip corner of downtown. It has been a slow process, Petragnani said, with several significant contributions like the warehouse, but Urban Outfitters’ opening is a milestone.

“At the end of the day it is still Syracuse,” Petragnani said. “(But) I would look at Armory Square as kind of a funky, trendy little corner of downtown and I think that’s a good thing. It could be like a little New York City.”