SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — What was once a former bank is now a luxury apartment and event space in downtown Syracuse.
The old Onondaga County Savings Bank on 101 South Salina Street has been transformed into “The Treasury,” a luxury apartment building and venue space.
According to Syracuse History, the over 100-year-old space, formerly known as the Palladian Hall, has been completely restored and renovated to all its glory from the late 1800s.
In a recent Instagram video posted by Syracuse History, a tour of the event space was shown, featuring the local history of the building, including all original architecture, paintings, and even the bank vault with rows of cash containers.
The building was originally constructed in 1897 and the beautiful constellation ceiling was painted by William T. Schwarz, who, according to Syracuse History, was a Syracuse native.
“William T. Schwarz was a Syracuse resident and Syracuse University graduate, whose father was president of the bank from 1927 to 1931,” Syracuse History stated.
“The ceiling painting is an astrologically correct representation of the night sky, depicting the signs of the Zodiac. It is a replica of a map found by Schwarz in the Library of Congress, drawn by a 15th century astronomer. This, in turn, was copied from an Italian monastery,” stated Syracuse History from the former website, SyracuseThenAndNow.com.
In order to maintain an astrological accuracy, the layout of the ceiling was overseen by a professor of astronomy at Haverford College in Pennsylvania.
“The artist claimed the location of the stars was so precise, that you can even use a sextant on it,” stated the former SyracuseThenAndNow.com
In the event space, the mural can also be seen on the lobby floor on top of a circus net borrowed from the famous Ringling family of Sarasota, Florida.
“The ceiling was coated with white lead and varnish. Then, using block and tackle, the mural and net were raised to within an inch of the ceiling. From there, the mural was rolled into place,” stated the former SyracuseThenAndNow.com
Syracuse History was kind enough to share with NewsChannel 9 the exquisite pictures of the event space, which can be seen below.
Courtesy of Syracuse History
Those interested in booking The Treasury’s venue can do so online by emailing thepalladian@greystar.com.
