LOCATION:
228 West Jefferson Street

GENERAL INFORMATION:
Acreage: 31' X 99' (Park-like area)
Downtown Park

FEATURES:
24- Second Shot clock

RELATED INFORMATION:
http://www.armorysquareofsyracuse.com/

HISTORICAL INFORMATION:
Armory Square was part of the historic Walton tract, and site of Walton’s millpond that fed a mill (1805) located on Genesee St. In 1849 the millpond and its surrounding swamp were filled in with soil from Prospect Hill, helping to eliminate frequent epidemics of malaria. The area was graded, existing streets extended, and the oval-shaped Jefferson Park, site of the first Armory (1859) and parade ground, was established.

The 1820’s brought the construction of the Erie Canal, and with the 1830’s came the railroads. These developments sparked business and building activities. Two railroad companies chose this location for the terminals, resulting in a concentration of hotels, boarding houses, shops, warehouses, and factories. The removal of the railroads from the streets of downtown Syracuse in the 1930’s brought a decline to the area. In the 1970’s a group of enterprising owners and artists became interested in Armory Square, which has since experienced a renaissance. In 1984, Armory Square was listed on the National Register of historic Places.

Architecturally the district’s structures exhibit the technological innovations and construction methods found in the commercial and architectural styles of the middle and late 1800’s and early 1900’s.