500 Erie Boulevard East
SMITH SUPPLY WAREHOUSE
Restoring history, for a more connected future.
The Smith Supply Warehouse is a historic mixed-use building in Downtown Syracuse. The rehabilitation of this iconic site into 38 modern luxury lofts and street-level commercial spaces creates a new, exciting beginning for one of Syracuse’s most recognizable buildings. We hope you join us in bringing new life to this historic warehouse.
Built by one of the earliest foundry’s in the city who were a major producer of salt kettles, a foundation of Syracuse’s industrial economy for over a century.
OHA Research
History of an Urban Mainstay
The building at 500 Erie Blvd East has long-served as a home to notable entrepreneurs and local businesses, who utilized the building’s strategic location directly on the Erie Canal and later Erie Boulevard to help distribute their products and services to individuals and communities across the United States.
The former Smith Restaurant Supply Building consists of two adjacent brick buildings (500 and 506 Erie Boulevard East) that were constructed independently in different periods as manufacturing buildings.
1880s
In 1883, 500 Erie Boulevard East, was constructed directly on the Erie Canal. During the late 1800s and early 1900s, the building was used to facilitate the transfer of raw materials and manufactured goods between canal boats and warehouses in Downtown Syracuse.
1890s
In 1897, 506 Erie Boulevard East, was constructed directly east of the building located at 500 Erie Boulevard East and was also located directly on the Erie Canal. After being severely damaged by a fire shortly after construction completion, the building was substantially remodeled by 1901. Nine years later, the building would be remodeled for a second time in an effort to fireproof the structure.
1920s
In the 1920s, the Erie Canal was filled in and Erie Boulevard was built out. Over the next three decades, 500 Erie Boulevard East was occupied by two machinery manufacturers, Porter Cable and the H.A. Smith Machinery Company. Porter-Cable was founded in Syracuse, New York in 1906 and was an early innovator in the manufacturing of power tools.
1940s
Starting in 1944 and continuing until early 2020, 500 Erie Boulevard East housed Smith Restaurant Supply, a multigenerational family-owned business retailing professional kitchen equipment and housewares. The company purchased and expanded into 506 Erie Boulevard East in 1967, connecting the buildings internally.
1960s
During the 1960s, many of the canal-era buildings located in the northeast corner of Syracuse’s Central Business District were demolished to make way for the construction of Interstate 81. Unlike many of their neighbors, 500 and 506 Erie Boulevard East were not demolished.
1970s - 2010s
The survival of 500 and 506 Erie Boulevard East provided the northeast corner of Syracuse’s Central Business District with unique and architecturally significant historical structures. Both buildings serve as a tangible reminder of Syracuse’s industrial history and the importance the Erie Canal played in its growth and prosperity.
2020s
In 2020, after nearly 80 years, Smith Restaurant Supply relocated to a new location on Erie Boulevard East and Paulus Development started construction on a historic rehabilitation of 500 and 506 Erie Boulevard East.
2021
In late 2021, after an extensive historic rehabilitation, the buildings were transformed into 38 modern luxury apartments and several ground floor commercial spaces.
THE FUTURE OF DOWNTOWN SYRACUSE IS BRIGHT.
Paulus Development
The Smith Restaurant Supply Building is a project which can be a catalyst for change with the Interstate 81 project. It is located at the crossroads of I-690 and I-81 and will advance economic growth, improve quality of life, and help address the injustices caused by the construction of the I-81 viaduct.
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