Board reviews conceptual plan to convert former City Hall Commons at 200 E. Genesee into mixed use
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Summary
Architects presented a 15%-level conceptual scheme to convert the former City Hall Commons at 200 E. Genesee to ground-floor commercial and residential units on floors 2–7; the board welcomed restoration of masonry, turret glass and atrium improvements and noted further review will involve SHPO and NPS for tax-credit work.
The Syracuse City Preservation Board on Nov. 20 reviewed a conceptual design to convert the former City Hall Commons at 200 East Genesee St. into mixed-use, with ground-floor commercial space and residential units on floors 2–7.
Jamie Williams of Homeskin/Qualquist Architects described the presentation as conceptual and cautioned it is early in design. “This is a preliminary or a conceptual drawing of the 1st Floor plan,” Williams said, adding the project team intends to preserve the historic stair and retain or restore turret curved-glass windows while repairing masonry and assessing which non-original windows (from the 1980s renovation) should be replaced.
Board members urged attention to the ground-floor articulation and historic openings and recommended exploring reopening bricked windows where feasible; the project team said interior layouts and tax-credit requirements will influence those choices. Williams noted the project will pursue historic tax credits and anticipated reviews by the State Historic Preservation Office and the National Park Service as part of that process.
The board offered generally positive feedback on the concept and encouraged focus on ground-floor transparency and appropriate restoration details as the project advances to planning and permitting stages.