{"nrhp_refnum":"00001689","name":"Edwards, O.M., Building","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"501 Plum St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Syracuse","county":"Onondaga County","state":"NY","lat":43.05681408700008,"lon":-76.17078788699996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2001-01-26","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A brick and reinforced-concrete factory complex at 501 Plum Street, Syracuse, New York, built in 1906 for the O.M. Edwards Company and designed by architect Gordon A. Wright, with a major addition in 1927.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the plant is significant for industry, as the home of a railroad hardware manufacturer that grew from a backyard shop on Syracuse's redeveloped former salt marshes. It is also significant for architecture, as the 1927 addition used mushroom-column reinforced concrete while matching the 1906 brick building. Few industrial buildings of this scale and quality remain in Syracuse.","narrative":"Built in 1906 on the former Marsh Lots at Plum and Solar Streets in Syracuse, this factory complex housed the O.M. Edwards Company, maker of easy-glide railroad car windows, extension platform trapdoors and padlocks. Oliver Murray Edwards began the business in 1892 behind his home, and architect Gordon A. Wright designed the larger plant. The main building is a four-story brick structure with load-bearing walls, wooden posts and floors, and rows of triple-sash windows between smooth brick piers. Rear wings held a foundry, boiler house with water tower, and woodworking shop. In 1927 Wright designed an addition that nearly doubled the plant, using reinforced concrete with mushroom columns while echoing the original brick rhythm and cornice. Later additions followed through 1966 and beyond. The company closed in 1988 and the buildings now stand vacant and weathered. The listing recognizes the plant's role in Syracuse industry and its notable early concrete construction.","period_of_significance":"1906-1950","architect_builder":"Wright, Gordon, architect, Syracuse, NY","architectural_style":"Modern Movement","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Listed as vacant and not in use; the company closed and its machinery was auctioned in 1988. Broken windows have let in weather, birds and animals, causing interior deterioration.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:51.054981-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/00001689.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00001689/ed88587427-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00001689/ed88587427-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Crazyale","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:OM_Edwards_Building.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Crazyale</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:OM_Edwards_Building.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75320334","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O.M._Edwards_Building","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7072068"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/onondaga-county/edwards-o-m-building-00001689/"}