The developers of the former Hotel Syracuse are looking for a little help from city lawmakers, as they continue to redevelop the historic landmark.
Developer Ed Riley says the project needs approval from the Syracuse Common Council to do some work on the outside of the hotel, which will turn into the Marriott Downtown Syracuse next year. Some requests would change legal language involving encroachment onto city property. Lawmakers also need to okay plans for some new looks to the façade -- which has changed a couple of times since the hotel opened in 1924 -- and lets the hotel push the curb out further into the street.
"So that we can animate the sidewalk area, and have seating for our patrons and the general public to enjoy the pubic and the cafes and just to enjoy the urban street life that goes on down there,” Riley said.
Riley is also asking the Common Council for permission to make the traffic flow friendlier to a major hotel, by making a portion of Warren Street a two-way street.
Riley says he’d like approval of these items sooner rather than later, because construction on the outside of the hotel needs to be finished before the snow flies.
Another big job will be filling in a hole that was created in the side of the hotel when an elevated enclosed walkway was removed.
“We’re going to infill the hole in the wall now with brick and terra cotta and cast stone that is almost identical to what was originally built, including the window. We’ll put the palladium window back in. And underneath that will be the marquee similar to the marquee on Warren Street and Harrison Street, and we’ll put in a new marquee that replicates the marquee that was there originally.”
He says the $57 million project is still on schedule, with a projected spring opening.
