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We all know that Clinton Square acts as the unofficial
center of the city and region, acting as common gathering place for all walks
of life. Concerts, festivals, ice
skating, people watching, lunch eating, farmers market shopping, and even fountain
wading are among the activities that give the square its life. The square has a fantastic backdrop of historic
and monumental architecture [and yes, a few not-as-nice buildings as well], green
space, the fountain, and the monument – what’s not to love about it? Despite all of this, though, there are many
times the square feels empty and uninteresting.
Its not the fault of the square itself, but rather the inactive perimeter of the square.
The north and south sides of Clinton Square were formerly
lined with plenty of shops, food purveyors, the city’s opera house, the county
courthouse, and the regional electric rail depot, so it goes without saying
that there were plenty of people interacting around the perimeter. Fast forward to today, and all of those
buildings are long gone, with the introverted Atrium building to the south -- a
failed attempt at a mall-like department store -- and the Post Standard building
to the north. Both offer little to no presence
along the square, other than their hulking mass, and the passerby can only do
just that – pass them by. In order to
make the buildings, and consequently Clinton Square, more engaging, they need to be
opened up to the street.
The Post Standard is moving most of its operations to their
new build-out in the Merchants Commons building a few blocks away, so a good
chunk of space in their Clinton Square building will shortly be vacated. The building’s façade is organized into a
series of repetitive bays, so this could offer the perfect opportunity to
reactivate the square side into a series of storefronts. There is a lot of sidewalk space on that side
of the building which would be ideal for restaurants and cafes to set up
outdoor seating – just think of what a popular summer spot that would be to
dine while gazing out at the beautiful square.
And likewise in the winter, warm behind large panes of glass, one can
glance out the window and see the ice skaters in the shadow of the impressive glittering
tree.
It'd take little investment for a whole lot of gain [hey Post Standard -- get ahold of me and I can help you figure it out!], re-establishing a level of constant energy into Clinton Square that it sorely deserves.
That would be add so much more life than what is already there. The Post-Standard building is one of my least favorite buildings in the city. It takes up SO much low-level space for a single-use facility. On top of that, it uses that space poorly and doesn't engage the public at all. I like these ideas you have. It's realistic and I think the spot is prime real-estate for a few small businesses.
ReplyDeleteIt's probably a pipe-dream, but I'd love to see the County Courthouse rebuilt exactly how it was on the corner of Genesee and Clinton. Some of the original pieces of limestone are still owned by the city and are held at the Hancock Airport. The Library of Congress has the architectural drawings on its website too - www.loc.gov/pictures/search/?q=Drawing:%20ny0615&fi=number&op=PHRASE&va=exact&co%20=hh&st=gallery&sg%20=%20true
After the I-81 deal, what is to become of the current Post-Standard building is my next greatest interest. With all the revitalization going on downtown, I hope this is high on the priority list of the powers that be as well.
ReplyDeleteI admit, you bring up some very good points about how this focus point of the city is a barren scape for 95% of the time. I hadn't thought about it before, even though it stares me right in the face.
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ReplyDeleteI lived in Krakow, Poland for five years and spent many a day at one of the many outdoor cafes that line the perimeter of the square. Quite a few of those cafes were in front of buildings which were not restaurants or cafes. The wait staff simply took orders and walked around the corner to where their actual café or service bar was located. Restrooms were often a block away, but so what! People around the square every day is a necessity!
ReplyDeleteI'm a bit late to the game, but it seems to me that there's a bigger problem here. Things like the court house, the opera house, and large banks set up shop at Clinton Square because it was a crossroads--it had traffic because of its central location at the intersection of the Erie Canal, Genesee Road, Salina Street, and the electric rail depot you mention. Clinton Square had people because people had to pass through it, and that made it a good location for these kinds of institutions. The Erie Canal's gone, the Genesee Road has been replaced by I-90, and the electric trains are gone. Salina Street is still busy, but mostly with commuters who bypass the square. Downtown's center has shifted south, so people don't pass through Clinton Square on their way from one place to another within Syracuse either. The conditions that made it a place to congregate are gone, and now it only benefits from the fact that it's an open space capable of hosting street fairs (not an insignificant thing, really).
ReplyDeleteIn order for its perimeter to reactivate, Clinton Square needs more foot traffic-not the other way around-and that can only happen if there's a reason to pass from one side of it to the other. Currently, the only area in the square's vicinity that's attractive to pedestrians is Hanover Square. Clinton Square would benefit from more open store fronts in the blocks immediately surrounding it, and that means more businesses on the 200 block of W Genesee, and new construction on existing parking lots on the 200 block between W Erie and W Water, the 100 block of S Clinton, and the 100 blocks along James and E Erie. Until that happens, Clinton Square will remain an island in a sea of blank walls and surface parking lots most of the time.
Found this blog from an article about I-81. Hope you find some time to start back up. Besides 81 and Clinton Square, would like to hear your thoughts on the proposed stadium. For me, I would like a 15K (for concerts, shows, Silver Knights and Crunch) east of the Inner Harbor over a mega-stadium catering to SU. I believe the Dome still has a lot of like in her.
ReplyDeleteI, too, found your blog from an article about I-81. I enjoyed reading your thought-provoking posts back through early 2011 (so far). If you choose to continue posting, I, for one, would be interested in reading what you have to say.
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