Demolition starts on former washing machine factory near Syracuse Inner Harbor – This is CNY

Syracuse, N.Y. -- Demolition crews have begun tearing down a former washing machine factory near the Syracuse Inner Harbor, and plans for the site’s redevelopment are expected to be announced sometime next year.

Workers from Lion Construction began demolishing the old Easy Washing Machine Co. building at 128 Spencer St. this week in advance of the site’s redevelopment.

Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon and Mayor Ben Walsh hailed the work as a significant step toward revitalizing the area surrounding the harbor, a former state Barge Canal terminal.

“The progress and momentum taking place in the Inner Harbor neighborhood is undeniable,” McMahon said in a statement. “Both public and private investment will soon result in a burgeoning, thriving and successful new neighborhood.”

Located at the northwest corner of Spencer and Solar streets, the property is owned by Cor Development Co., the same company that owns most of the land immediately surrounding the harbor.

McMahon’s office said Cor plans to announce its development plans for the site “in the coming months.”

Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard has reached out to Cor for comment.

In a statement, Steven L. Aiello, vice president of finance at Cor, called the demolition of the factory a “step forward in the continued development of the Syracuse Inner Harbor.”

The statement did not provide details of the company‘s plans for the site. But Cor’s longstanding master plan for the harbor calls for a mixed-use development with 550 market-rate apartments, street-level commercial space and an 800-car parking garage.

The Easy Washing Machine Co., originally the Syracuse Washing Machine Co., opened a factory on the site in 1920, part of a major complex that made Syracuse a center of washing machine manufacturing.

A new plant replaced the original one in 1953, but the factory closed in 1963 after the company was sold to Hupp Corp., of Cleveland, Ohio.

Cor has opened a hotel and a large mixed-use building at the harbor. The county began site work last year on an aquarium at the harbor that is expected to cost close to $100 million.

Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact Rick Moriarty anytime at [email protected] or (315) 470-3148.