A Renewed Downtown Utica

A relatively great city was created as our country emerged and for a time Utica was; "the textile capital of the world", and on the "world's longest railroad", as detailed in this listing of Milestones.

However, Utica suffered successive cases of destructive declines and bouts of Urban Renewal.

We will suggest that our proposed Redevelopments will renew the Columbia Lafayette Neighborhood and will become interwoven with these Downtown Utica Development stories.

Below we offer a chronology of the ebb and flow of a "Renewed Downtown Utica"...


1990's

1998 - Hotel Utica Time was taking its toll on the Hotel Utica until 1998, when Charles N. Gaetano and Joseph Carucci decided to bring it back to life. It struggled, as this article OUR VIEW: Saving Hotel Utica must be a community effort contests.


1998 - "Adirondack Bank Building" Originally the First National Bank building, Tom Clark purchases building for $1. Property is redeveloped, but in year 2009 we read, Adirondack Bank head balks at hike in payments in lieu of taxes.

2000 to 2010

2002 - "Utica Coffee" Utica Coffee Roasting Company began in 2002 with the purchase of our facility located at 92 Genesee Street in Utica, NY.

June 24, 2002 - 10-12 Liberty Street Brett Truett, owner of SoftNoze USA plans to add new life to Bagg’s Square through a clay-themed building project, signs purchase offer for 10-12 Liberty Street for $40,001 hoping to turn the 25,000-square-foot former warehouse property into an arts complex focused on pottery and other clay products. Learn more Entrepreneur to mold Bagg’s Square with clay. Subsequently, a smaller historic building was purchased on Burchard Lane on October 24, 2003.


2003 to 2005 - "Utica National" At 201 Lafayette Street, Utica National is returning to Utica, as it seeks to close-off Washington Street between Lafayette and Columbia Street to build a 47,000 s.f. building. The property was designed by March Associates, constructed by Gaetano Construction, and quoted to cost $6.1M. Property is owned by City's Urban Renewal Agency. Learn more . Building opened in January 2005 with fanfare from then Governor George Pataki and Mayor Tim Julian, as 225 workers would transfer from New Hartford. Building replaces an empty lot the firm purchased for $120,000, the Washington Street R.O.W. for $10,700. Following this, the company is planning $8.5M in renovations to their New Hartford location.


January 10, 2003 - Hurd Shoe This date signifies closing date of new owners for the Hurd Shoe Company, formerly "Tallman & Hurd" Building. On September 15, 2015 the day's newspaper offers a story titled, "Brothers Revive Utica Structure", and the community learns they and their family company Jetnet will restore the property.

2007/2007 - "O2 Lounge" Renovate 222 Bleecker Street into the O2 Lounge. Closed in XXXX.

2009 - "Bagg’s Square Cafe" Michael and Francis Pezzolanella purchased the Broad Street property that contains Bagg’s Square Cafe, among other tenants, in 2009.

2011 to 2015

DATE - , LEAD PARA...

August 2012 - "Harza Building" Once was home to F.W. Woolworth, a Familiar suitor surfaces for Harza Building. See more building stories regarding Tom Clark here, Local franchise owner buys Harza Building and Tom Clark: The man who would rebuild Utica. As story points out, this and other projects by Clark came by way of Subsidies. In 2009 we learned that City pushes to fill Harza building


2014 ? - Davis Media Business owners: Bagg’s Square is more than bakeries, cafes


2015 Story... Bagg’s Square properties poised for rebirth

2016 to Present

DATE - , LEAD PARA...

- "New Century Club & Security Building"Bowers Development LLC owns the New Century Club building, at 253 Genesee Street, and the former Security Building at 120-126 Bleecker Street in Utica. The sales were approved by the city’s Urban Renewal Agency in 2016.

February 17, 2018 - , Not a building project, but a German researcher visits Utica to study old industrial cities, revival.


February 17, 2018 - "Kempf & XXXXX Buildings" An out-of-town Developer has plans for Utica buildings, the Sweet Escape Chocolate Lounge closes.

Syracuse-based Bowers Development LLC increased its stock of downtown Utica property in December when it purchased 248-250 Genesee St. — known as the Kempf Building — and the connected 252 Genesee Street.


North Country Books Inc - In 1998 they were at 311 Turner Street, Charestown Mall. Founded in 1965 and in 1985 was operating out of a home in Booneville, NY (UticaOD 9/6/1985). Today they are located on Lafayette Street.

P.J. Green - 100 Whitesboro Street...

-

-

-

-

-

-


We're not opposed to a new hospital, just do not bulldoze Downtown Utica's Historic Columbia-Lafayette Neighborhood... "Build It At St. Luke's!"



Connect with BUD:

Email Us!