Speaker numbers apply only to this recording. Names come from transcript evidence. “Possibly” marks uncertain attribution.
The Syracuse Landmark Preservation Board met on October 29, 2026 (provided transcript timestamp: 12:33:05 UTC). No agenda or minutes were available, and no start/end times are recorded. The board held applications open, approved two certificates of appropriateness, and discussed a proposed bridge demolition and replacement.
Unspecified first item: The transcript opens with the board agreeing to hold an application open until the next board meeting without taking a vote; the application number is not identified.
CA-26-25 — 923-27 Comstock Avenue (mosque addition): The applicants asked to hold the application open pending design revisions and additional public interaction. The board agreed and moved the matter to the next meeting.
CA-26-27 — 101 Hampshire Road (balcony railing and foundation work): Owner William Apolito, 101 Hampshire Road, presented plans in the Sedgwick-Highland-James Preservation District. The vestibule floor has a five-degree slope (almost nine percent) and has been sinking since 1927 because the original footing was not deep enough. The plan is to jack the floor, install a 48-inch footing, and reset the original brick so the exterior looks the same while preserving mosaic tile. He also proposed replacing a deteriorating plastic second-floor porch railing with a steel, powder-coated black railing matching an original 1927 railing from the house. Board members asked about the railing height and materials; the railing will be 36 inches high to meet current code and is being fabricated by Iron Hill Fabrication LLC. No public speakers appeared. The board approved the project as submitted.
CA-26-28 — 113 Berkeley Drive (front step repair and partial replacement): The applicant described work in the Berkeley Park Preservation District. After demolition, the steps' substructure was found to be compromised, so the work became a structural repair: all treads and the landing were replaced with bluestone, the substructure was rebuilt, one cheek wall was rebuilt, and the original stone on the cheek walls was retained. Striated brick was used to match the existing historic brick. No public speakers appeared. The board approved the project as submitted with the condition that the applicant send the selected railing design to staff.
2026-166 — 500 Plum Street (former New Process Gear factory number two): Applicant representative Dave Chavez of Plan Air Companies presented a proposal to demolish and replace the condemned bridge. The building is now fully occupied by office uses; the bridge was originally built to carry equipment and vehicles. Replacing the bridge as-is would cost almost $2 million, and the project is privately funded. The proposed replacement is a smaller steel-railed bridge intended to blend into the neighborhood, with smaller piers and slightly higher clearance to increase floodway capacity on Onondaga Creek; the tenants on the opposite side are within a tenth of an inch of the floodplain. The applicant noted New Process left in 1961 for DeWitt, and that the bridge is eligible for but not listed on the National Register. The applicant also said the state historic preservation office was clear that tax credits go to buildings, not appendages.
Board members strongly opposed the design. One absent board member's written comment said the design does not respond to the massing, character, or industrial architectural language of the existing bridge or its sister structures. Board members called the bridge an iconic Franklin Square/New Process Gear structure, characterized the proposed design as "slim, sleek, and minuscule," and said it was totally inappropriate. One board member, Doug Sutherland, agreed the proposed design was an "abomination." The board suggested a smaller trellis design more consistent with adjacent bridges and recommended community outreach with residents. It cited Secretary of the Interior Standard Six: deteriorated historic features should be repaired rather than replaced, and replacements should match the old in design, color, texture, and where possible materials. Board members also noted the adjacent bridge to the southwest was extensively restored several years ago.
The applicant said a demolition permit was already in hand and demolition could occur quickly. Board members questioned how that permit was issued and asked staff to follow up with the zoning department. They also requested extensive documentation of the bridge before any demolition. The board's comments were to be sent back to zoning; no site plan approval was granted.
The board discussed next year's meeting calendar beginning January 24, upcoming training, and a walking tour of Syracuse's architectural history. Members expressed interest in mid-century and later architecture and planned a Thursday morning walking tour within the next two weeks.
Do we need a vote to hold it open? No, okay. So we'll we'll move that on to the next uh the next board meeting. Okay. Um our second one, CA-26-25 certificate of appropriateness for 923-27 Comstock Avenue. Um, this is the addition to the mosque on Comstock Street, uh Comstock have uh they have also asked the owners have also asked uh for uh the board to hold it open pending revisions to the design and more uh public uh interactions. So um we did uh in the uh I did receive the the office did receive earlier this week uh some correspondence from some of the neighbors in regard to the uh this application that they wanted to make sure got into the record. Um and it is a letter from a group of neighbors, and they are um uh really uh talking about what they see as some of the impacts of the proposed uh project and uh wanted to make sure that the board had their comments. Um but again the the applicants have asked for this to be held open, and um if that is the pleasure of the board, then we'll we'll do that again uh till the next meeting. At their request, yeah. That's fine on hold. All right, and so now we come to CA-26-27. Again, a certificate of appropriateness for 101 Hampshire Road. This is the reinstallation of uh balcony railing as well as some um work to the uh some foundation work. It is uh property that is located in the Sedwick Highland James Preservation District, and the owner and applicant is here to talk about his project. Okay, good morning. Thank you for coming. May I have your name and address for the record? And William Apolito, 101 Hampshire Road, Syracuse, New York, 13203 Sedgwick Preservation District. Thank you, sir. And uh can you just um tell us uh what your plans are here and we can scroll through your application. Okay, there's uh two parts to this. Uh you can actually see on this first picture the both of them. First, I'll talk about the foundation work for the vestibule, uh which is just behind the front door, but also you can see the second floor porch. Uh we'll talk about the second. If you could scroll down a little bit. So if you can see where the red arrows are, there's a gap, especially on the picture in the upper left. Um that's because the floor inside the front door in the vestibule has a five-degree slope, about almost nine percent. Uh, I did have a structural engineer come about a year and a half ago. Um, it is actually a different slope than even the front steps. It's not the correct slope, and that's because the uh where you see the brick, it's actually the footing underneath there is sinking. He believes most likely that while the steps footing was deep enough, the footing put in for the vestibule was not deep enough, and so it's been sinking since 1927. Uh and the reason why we're gonna go through, remove the bricks, try to jack up the floor is because of mosaic tile just inside the front door. We'd like to keep it if we can. I'm not exactly sure if it's original, but it is been there for quite a long time. Uh and then uh the lower two pictures are just pictures of the gaps in the uh molding around the floor. Uh next page. Oh, and just on that as well, is once we jack up the floor, put the footing, we will return the original bricks on, so it'll look exactly the same. Uh here is the the porch on the second floor. At some point, uh the floor the porch railing was actually replaced, uh, and they put on a plastic type of railing. Uh and if you could scroll down.