What's Old is New Again!

This week, Dave and I attended a very swank affair in Syracuse, presented by the Onondaga Historical Association - to rededicate an old, grand hotel.

I'm sure you are familiar with a beautiful old building in your own community that represents history itself. If only the walls could talk, what stories they could tell. So many of these special places were built in grand style decades ago, and have fallen into disrepair.

So goes the story of the Hotel Syracuse. Presidents, dignitaries, and celebrities have roamed the walls, performed in its theaters, and breakfasted in the cafes in decades past. Very few folks from around here don't remember a wedding or prom they attended in one of four high-ceilinged ballrooms. Or shopping in the boutique shops along the main floor exteriors.

This particular building's story nearly ended with a wrecking ball. Thanks to an infusion of investment dollars, a new name, the Marriott Syracuse Downtown, the wrecking ball has been stayed, and the hotel is getting a facelift and restoration! A few quick pictures from the Saturday event:

Dave thought this 1927 Franklin automobile (manufactured in Syracuse) should be his new ride.

The main floor hotel lobby. All that wood work in the ceiling had to be cleaned and refurbished!

Decked out with fresh flowers. . .

Where ever you go, you can always find another quilter. Joy happened to be one of my table mates for the evening. . .and she's a quilter!

More flowers, a huge bouquet in the main reception area.

The grand ballroom on the 10th floor in full 'swing.' Note the original cloud-painted ceiling!

A panoramic shot of the mural depicting historic Syracuse events over the reception area in the main lobby. Would you believe this painting was covered by mirrors in the 1980s to keep up with current design trends?

I don't have any idea who this is, but I suspect that she either had a really great evening or a really rough week. Or maybe that chair is just really, really comfortable! What do you think?

Hotel keys like this are a thing of the past. An appropriate 'party favor' so we could have a bit of history as a momento. Wonder who might have handled these keys? Elvis, do you think?

Does your town have a historic building waiting to be re-discovered?

Happy Stitching!
joan ford