Syracuse Area Hospitals - A History
A.C. Silverman Hall
Upstate Medical University indicated interest in the building, but did not succeed in securing funds for the 1978 State budget. In September, 1978 SUNY agreed to maintain the building while a sale was discussed. In May of 1979, SUNY offered $600,000 for the building while the VA offered to lease it for 5 years at $90,000 per year. After no resolution on the title and no response from the County and City, the VA withdrew its offer to lease and SUNY ended its commitment to maintain the facility. The building had been constructed
on ground donated by Syracuse University in 1926, the gift included a clause that required the land be given back to the University if the facility stopped being used for public health. SU Chancellor Melvin Eggers noted in a letter (dated June 13, 1973) to Upstate President Lewis Bleumle, that SU's interest in the property could be relinquished for $10,000. It is unclear whether this payment was ever made.
In March, 1981 the State approved SUNY’s acquisition of Silverman for $720,000 to house Upstate’s College of Health Professions, but the title issues were unresolved. The funds were deposited with the State Supreme Court to be held in escrow while the City and County negotiated. An agreement reached between Mayor Alexander and County Executive Mulroy would have forced the City to revenue share $300,000 with the County, but that agreement was rejected by the County Legislature that then failed to include that $300,000 in the sales tax contract signed with the City on June 24, 1982. This oversight left the County out of any profit sharing from the Silverman sale.
After the purchase of the Silverman Hospital building, Upstate Medical University renamed it A.C. Silverman Hall and made it the home of the College of Health Related Professions in 1986. That same year the building was renovated for its new academic purpose. CHP faculty offices and teaching spaces have persisted in this space, mostly unchanged, since that time. A significant capital project to modernize the facility was begun in the fall of 2021.
Resources:
College of Health Related Professions Open House and Tour program. May 25, 1988.
Driscoll, Neil. "Mayor denies $300,000 claim in hospital sale" Syracuse Herald-Journal June 24, 1982.
Peters, Kenn. "Hospital to buy building. State approves fund for college." Syracuse Herald-Journal. March 19, 1981.
Resolution on A.C. Silverman Hall. 1986.