City starts partial demolition of historic Syracuse house over owner’s objections

The West Onondaga Street residence built in 1877 by William J. Gillett has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Gillett, a building contractor, decorated the Second-Empire style house with a plethora of wooden ornaments he fashioned in his own molding mill. Gillett lived in the house until 1918. It was maintained as a private residence until 1957, when it was purchased by Trinity Episcopal Church. The church used the downstairs front as a thrift shop and rented apartments on the second floor.

Syracuse, N.Y. — A contractor hired by the city of Syracuse began to partially demolish the historic Gillett House on Thursday morning, a move that’s bringing considerable anxiety for the developer planning to renovate it.

The house at 515 W. Onondaga St., built in 1875 by Union Army Capt. William Gillett, is one of three buildings at the intersection with South Avenue that are owned by Strathmore Community Development Group. The company purchased the house, an adjacent vacant church and the church’s parish house for a combined $185,000 in an effort to save them from complete demolition.

Plans for restoration include office space and apartments in the smaller buildings and a brewery in the church. Last year, the state announced a $1,217,000 Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant for the project.

But virtually no work to rehab Gillett House has taken place, and city officials became alarmed about the extent of the deterioration earlier this year. The building’s rear section collapsed several years ago, leaving the back portion open to the elements, wildlife and squatters.

The code enforcement office issued an emergency partial demolition order in September, and began discussions with Strathmore Community Development about whether the private developer could get financing and its contractor lined up to do the work instead of the city’s contractor. But after a couple of months of talks, the city decided to move forward with its own contractor.

The city’s move worries the development company, which said in a statement to syracuse.com that it was ready to start work that would have satisfied code enforcement’s concerns within weeks. But unlike the city’s contractors, Strathmore Community Development said it has a contractor that’s better suited to do the delicate work required to stabilize the house while preserving its historical integrity and not causing further problems to the rest of the structure.

Work to demolish what’s left of the collapsed portion of Gillett House, on West Onondaga Street in Syracuse, begins Thursday morning. Garth Coviello, a partner with building owner Strathmore Community Development, monitors the work, which is being done by a contractor hired by the city as part of an emergency demolition order.

“We remain very concerned that (the city’s) plan does not include stabilization,” the company said. “Without proper stabilization, the Gillett House could collapse and become unsalvageable.”

Eric Ennis, the city’s deputy commissioner of economic development who has served as the primary contact with the developers, said the city’s contractor is being careful and plans to secure the building so people and animals won’t be able to get inside anymore. He said city officials felt they just couldn’t wait any longer to address what it considers an emergency.

“We have communicated that primarily our biggest concern has been the threat to public safety,” Ennis said. “We had to take action and we had to take responsibility.”

Despite the difference of opinion regarding the partial demolition, Ennis said the city remains committed to working with Strathmore Community Development to bring its restoration project to fruition.

On Thursday, an excavator began knocking down remnants of the partially collapsed part of the house and loading debris into a large waste container. While the work was taking place, one of Strathmore Community Development’s co-owners, Garth Coviello, stood off to the side taking video with his mobile phone. Earlier he spoke with the crew to emphasize the delicate state of the building, and they assured him they would be cautious. The city’s contractor estimated the work will cost $12,275. The owners will be responsible for paying that bill.

Gillett built the 4,000-square-foot house around 1875. He survived Gettysburg and 10 other major Civil War battles. The National Register of Historic Places added the house to its list in 1982.

Strathmore Community Development previously purchased and restored the Huntley apartments, which re-opened in 2016.

City reporter Jeremy Boyer can be reached at [email protected], (315) 657-5673, Twitter or Facebook.

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