One of the most iconic buildings in downtown Syracuse is getting a facelift. National Grid will be rehabbing the art deco classic building that houses 2,000 employees.
Completed in 1932, the Niagara Hudson Building became the face of the age of electricity in Syracuse, with its winged sculpture offering a symbol of optimism and progress during the Great Depression. Since then, in the hands of Niagara Mohawk and now National Grid, the building has taken a beating from over nearly 100 central New York winters. So National Grid will soon begin a multi-year restoration of a building that’s listed on the United National Register of Historic Places.
The first phase will be repairing the front doors of the building, damaged in a car accident last year.
"So we have the doors fabricated by a company in Manlius, and they've worked to have the finish of the new stainless steel doors match the finish of the other doors that have been there since the building opened," said National Grid Spokesman Jared Paventi. "So those will be going in and we'll be reopening the all of the doors of the lobby first."
Other work that will continue the next few years include roof repairs, replacing the distinctive black spandrel panels with durable glass fiber reinforced concrete, brick work and flashing repairs and decorative stainless steel and glass work.
And that winged sculpture, known as the Spirit of Light, will get a little attention as well.
"It's actually, it's in pretty good shape," Paventi said. "It's withstood a lot of wind and a lot of snow over the years. And the Spirit of Light continues to keep an eye on all of us."
Paventi said it’s fitting that a building built at the dawn of the electric age will be revitalized to reflect the dawn of the renewable energy age.
"The building has been a constant as the industry has evolved," he said. "Now it’s ready to take care of the outside a bit to take care of whatever is next."
The first phase of the restoration is expected to be completed in January.
