Preserve the Syracuse of the Past

I saw this article in the Post Standard today about an old mansion on West Onondaga for sale, and it got me thinking about all of Syracuse's old mansions, in various stages of disrepair.

I've seen many, and they always manage to break my heart. If the previous owners were to see their grand mansions today, what would they do? Would they wonder how a generation could let these homes crumble before their eyes? Would they see our suburban ranches and just cry?

The city of Syracuse knows this is a problem, and has developed this 104-page Preservation Plan as a way to solve it. (Careful, it's a BIG pdf document. Might take some time to download.) This plan might work if all of the recommendations actually happen, but how likely is that? One thing they do note, however, is that the city government needs to foster preservation and offer tax and grant incentives in order to bring it onto people's radar. I would love to see this happen.

A more interesting resource is SyracuseThenAndNow.org. This has tips on preserving your own old house (should you happen to live in one). You can also find local history for your city neighborhood, and pictures of beautiful buildings we've lost over the years.

The perception is that preservation of a building costs more money than just building a new one. Historic designation is viewed as a hurdle to redevelopment, not an asset. But what are we loosing by tearing down these historic structures? What kind of values do we instill in our children when they see that "old stuff gets thrown out"? Who can look at a house like this and not see the beauty that should be restored?

I'm very excited about 40 Below's Adapt CNY, Inc. and the new effort to Save the Wilson Building. Personally, I plan to be there with a hammer as soon as they need me. I would encourage you to join us! Taking part in this large-scale preservation effort will hopefully get me ready to tackle some of these mansions I see on Danforth, West Onondaga, and James Street.

Now all I need is money!