Unique Syracuse Home Gets Update, But No Residents

A unique Syracuse house is looking fresh, but it’s the project underneath that could have a larger impact.

Workers recently made updates to the two-story home, situated on top of a former carriage and automobile factory, Syracuse.com reported. The home has been a source of fascination for years, sitting on top of the former H.A. Moyer property for well more than a century.

The billboard next to the home at 1714 North Salina Street in the city’s North Side is gone. The house itself has new siding, windows and roof shingles.

The origin of the house is unclear. A popular rumor placed an elderly woman in the home before the factory was built, suggesting she wouldn’t budge unless it was preserved. More likely, it housed the motor responsible for the factory’s freight elevator and was never lived in.

It won’t be lived in going forward, either, but the factory below is about to become the source of many homes.

Housing Visions and Redev CNY are in the midst of a $55 million redevelopment of the former five-story factory. The end result will be 128 apartments, nearly half for those with physical disabilities, mental illness or are domestic violence victims. Rents will start at a low $569 and all of the apartments will be designated for affordable housing.

There will also be on-site support for residents of the property’s 50 supportive housing units. Amenities include a private courtyard, a laundry room and a community room.

The factory’s most recent occupant was Penfield Manufacturing, which made mattresses and bedroom furniture. The company shut down in 2006, leaving the factory vacant.

While nobody will live in the house above the factory, it’s unlikely to go to waste. Ben Lockwood, chief executive officer of Housing Visions, floated the possibility of providing limited tours in the future as a fundraising method.

— Holden Walter-Warner