City - Syracuse, NY - Erie Canal at Salina St 1900 - Side by Side

by Mike Savad

Title

City - Syracuse, NY - Erie Canal at Salina St 1900 - Side by Side

Artist

Mike Savad

Medium

Photograph - Hand Colorized Photo

Description

Hand colored photo from 1900
Original title: Erie Canal at Salina St., Syracuse, N.Y.
Photographer: Detroit Publishing
Location: 100 N Clinton St, Syracuse, NY

The Erie Canal, completed in 1825, was a transformative waterway connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean via the Hudson River. Its construction turned cities like Syracuse into thriving commercial hubs, driving trade and substantial economic growth.

Salina Street, featured in the photograph, was a vital thoroughfare, central to Syracuse's commerce and transportation. The image captures the early 20th-century urban landscape, illustrating the canal's integration into the city's infrastructure and the vibrant activity of the time.

However, the Erie Canal's prominence in Syracuse was short-lived. On July 30, 1907, a neglected aqueduct over Onondaga Creek collapsed, emptying a seven-mile stretch of the canal within two hours. Flooding reached Onondaga Lake, sweeping away boats and damaging landmarks like the Greenway Brewery, signaling the canal's decline in the city.

To the right in the photograph stands the Wieting Block and Wieting Opera House, iconic cultural landmarks. The opera house, originally built in 1852 and rebuilt after multiple fires, became a premier venue for theater and performances, showcasing Syracuse's cultural vibrancy.

Nearby, the Bastable Block was another Syracuse landmark, known for its distinctive architecture and bustling commercial spaces. Destroyed by fire in 1923, it once epitomized the city's economic vitality during the Erie Canal era. Together, these structures symbolize a period when Syracuse flourished as a hub of commerce and culture.

Color notes:
This area changed quite a bit, while three buildings are still there, the one on the far left, the middle with the clock, and the far right white building (they are all banks now), the main thing that's missing is the canal itself. They sometimes have a pond or a ice skating rink there in this spot. I did look up the canal boats of this area and they are quite colorful. The drawbridge works by going straight up, then people would take the stairs and go over the bridge. And the horse would I guess swim across.

Uploaded

December 27th, 2024

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