Hotel Skyler Syracuse, Tapestry Collection by Hilton

Hotel Skyler Syracuse, whose official name is Hotel Skyler Syracuse, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, is a historic hotel serving the Syracuse University area of Syracuse, New York. It occupies the former Temple Adath Yeshurun synagogue at 601 South Crouse Avenue, near Crouse-Irving Hospital and close to the university campus. The property combines adaptive reuse of a prominent early twentieth-century religious building with contemporary hotel accommodation and event facilities. The building was constructed in 1921 and served as the home of Temple Adath Yeshurun for approximately 55 years. The congregation relocated to a new facility in 1968, after which the former synagogue was acquired by the City of Syracuse as part of a proposed urban-renewal initiative. That redevelopment plan did not proceed, and the structure remained largely vacant for many years. During a brief period in the 1970s, it was used by the Salt City Theatre Group, but it otherwise remained an underused landmark until its redevelopment as a hotel. Developer Norm Swanson purchased the property from the city in 2011 for $352,500, together with tax benefits associated with its redevelopment. He subsequently invested nearly $7 million in converting the former synagogue into Hotel Skyler, naming the hotel after his grandson. The hotel opened in 2011 and retained important elements of the historic structure, which has been described as Georgian Revival in style and features four engaged columns on its exterior. Hotel Skyler's identity is also closely associated with environmental design. It became the third hotel in the United States and the first in Syracuse to receive LEED Platinum certification. Its sustainability systems include geothermal heating and cooling supported by 68 geothermal heat pumps and a 499-foot-deep well. The property also uses LED lighting in public areas and low-flow bathroom fixtures in guest rooms. These features distinguish it from a conventional historic conversion and support its upper-upscale positioning within the Tapestry Collection by Hilton. The hotel's business scope centers on guest accommodation, hospitality services, and meeting or event facilities. Its location makes it relevant to visitors to Syracuse University, nearby medical facilities, and the broader Syracuse area. In March 2024, Syracuse University purchased the hotel to help meet university-related lodging needs after the on-campus Sheraton was converted into student housing. The property therefore functions both as a branded hotel in Hilton's independent-minded Tapestry portfolio and as an adaptive-reuse landmark connected to the university district.

Hotel Skyler occupies a former synagogue at 601 South Crouse Avenue in Syracuse, New York. The building dates from 1921 and was constructed for Temple Adath Yeshurun, which used it for roughly 55 years. The structure is associated with Georgian Revival architecture and retains four engaged columns, features that remain part of the property's historic character. Temple Adath Yeshurun moved to a new building in 1968. The former synagogue was then purchased by the City of Syracuse in connection with a planned urban-renewal project. That project ultimately failed to materialize, leaving the building largely vacant for decades. The structure had a temporary cultural use in the 1970s, when the Salt City Theatre Group was based there, but it did not become a sustained commercial or institutional property during that period. In 2011, developer Norm Swanson acquired the building from the city for $352,500 and received tax benefits connected with the redevelopment. He later spent nearly $7 million transforming the former synagogue into a hotel. The completed property was named Hotel Skyler after Swanson's grandson. The conversion preserved the building's historic identity while introducing guest rooms, hospitality operations, and facilities for meetings and events. The hotel is situated in the Syracuse University area, down the hill from Crouse-Irving Hospital, giving it a location suited to university visitors, medical-center users, and travelers to central Syracuse. Environmental performance became a defining part of the redevelopment. Hotel Skyler was described as the third hotel in the United States and the first in Syracuse to achieve LEED Platinum certification. Its heating and cooling system uses 68 geothermal heat pumps supplied by a 499-foot-deep well. Public areas use LED lighting, while guest bathrooms use low-flow fixtures. These systems made the hotel an example of combining historic preservation with energy-conscious building operations. The property later became part of Hilton's Tapestry Collection, a group positioned around distinctive hotels with individual local identities. Its official name is Hotel Skyler Syracuse, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, although it is commonly referred to as Hotel Skyler. In March 2024, Syracuse University bought the hotel. The acquisition followed the planned conversion of the university's on-campus Sheraton into student housing and was intended to help satisfy the institution's need for nearby hotel services. The hotel's current identity thus reflects several overlapping histories: a former Jewish congregation, an unrealized urban-renewal site, a preserved Georgian Revival building, a sustainability-oriented hotel conversion, and a university-linked lodging asset.

• 2024

  Syracuse University acquisition

  [1]Hotel Skyleren.wikipedia.org

  Syracuse University purchased the hotel in March 2024 to support lodging needs associated with the university after its on-campus Sheraton was converted into student housing.

• 2011

  Conversion into Hotel Skyler

  [1]Hotel Skyleren.wikipedia.org

  Norm Swanson purchased the largely vacant building, invested nearly $7 million in its conversion, and opened Hotel Skyler.

• 2011

  LEED Platinum sustainability achievement

  [1]Hotel Skyleren.wikipedia.org

  The hotel became the first in Syracuse and was described as the third in the United States to receive LEED Platinum certification.

• 1970

  Salt City Theatre Group use

  [1]Hotel Skyleren.wikipedia.org

  During the 1970s, the building briefly served as a base for the Salt City Theatre Group.

• 1968

  Temple Adath Yeshurun relocates

  [1]Hotel Skyleren.wikipedia.org

  The congregation moved to a new building, leaving the former synagogue available for subsequent civic and redevelopment uses.

• 1921

  Former synagogue building constructed

  [1]Hotel Skyleren.wikipedia.org

  The building at 601 South Crouse Avenue was constructed and became the home of Temple Adath Yeshurun.

Upper-upscale historic boutique hotel with a strong adaptive-reuse and sustainability identity.

• Hotel accommodation · 2011

  Guest rooms

  The hotel's core offering is overnight accommodation within a converted 1921 synagogue. The guest-room operation combines the historic setting of the former Temple Adath Yeshurun building with contemporary hotel services and the identity of Hilton's Tapestry Collection. The rooms serve visitors to Syracuse, Syracuse University, nearby medical facilities, and the surrounding region.

• Hospitality and events · 2011

  Meeting and event facilities

  Hotel Skyler provides facilities for meetings and events as part of its hospitality offer. These spaces extend the property beyond individual lodging and support university-related, social, and business uses in a distinctive historic venue near the Syracuse University area.

• Hotel infrastructure · 2011

  Sustainable building systems

  Although not a guest product in the conventional sense, the hotel's geothermal heating and cooling system is a central part of its property proposition. The system uses 68 geothermal heat pumps and a 499-foot-deep well. LED lighting in public areas and low-flow bathroom fixtures further support the hotel's environmental positioning.

• 2024

  Purchase by Syracuse UniversityM&A

  Background

  The university needed hotel services after its on-campus Sheraton was converted into student housing.

  Action taken

  Syracuse University purchased Hotel Skyler in March 2024.

  Aftermath

  The hotel became a university-linked lodging asset while continuing to operate under its Hotel Skyler and Tapestry Collection identity.

  Source

• 2011

  Adaptive reuse of former synagogue as a hotelStrategy

  Background

  The former Temple Adath Yeshurun building had remained largely vacant after a city urban-renewal plan failed to proceed.

  Action taken

  Norm Swanson acquired the building and invested nearly $7 million to convert it into Hotel Skyler while retaining its historic architectural character.

  Aftermath

  The property became a functioning hotel and later joined Hilton's Tapestry Collection, while the building's historic and environmental attributes became central to its identity.

  Source

• 2011

  Adoption of high-efficiency building systemsStrategy

  Background

  The hotel conversion created an opportunity to pair historic preservation with modern environmental systems.

  Action taken

  The property incorporated geothermal heating and cooling, LED lighting in public areas, and low-flow bathroom fixtures, and achieved LEED Platinum certification.

  Aftermath

  Hotel Skyler was described as the first LEED Platinum hotel in Syracuse and the third in the United States.

  Source

1. 1Hotel Skyleren.wikipedia.org