Salina, NY - Tenants are moving into the newly constructed Residences at LeMoyne Manor, a $15 million development first proposed in 2020.
The luxury apartment complex, on the site of the former landmark Le Moyne Manor restaurant and banquet facility at 629 Old Liverpool Road, is about 65% occupied, said David Muraco, the developer behind the project.
Most of the apartments offer a view of Onondaga Lake, and they all have balconies, Muraco said.
At the same time, a restaurant is set to open in the main building later in coming weeks, Muraco said. Known as Cafe 86, it will serve Japanese and Korean-style hibachi, ice cream and bubble tea.
There is a large deck on the back of the main building, and the windows from the cafe will look over over the lake, Muraco said.
On the residential side, all four one-bedroom apartments are rented in the 66-unit complex, Muraco said. The remainder are two-bedrooms. Tenants started moving in during April, he said.
There are four buildings in the development: three apartment buildings with 18 units in each and the main building with 12 units.
Famed architect Ward Wellington Ward built a house on the property in 1916 and called it Le Moyne Manor. Ward’s wife sold the mansion after his death in 1932. It was later developed into the Le Moyne Manor Restaurant by Frank Montanaro, who added large banquet rooms and a separate hotel. Countless weddings, parties, dinners, meetings, proms and other events were held there.
Montanaro sold the property in 1992. The banquet facility closed in 2011 and it became a home for people recovering from addiction until 2015.
Muraco bought the former Le Moyne Manor property in 2016 and tore down the old crumbling buildings on the property in 2018.
The project received tax breaks from OCIDA totaling $1.5 million. That included sales tax abatement on construction materials, mortgage recording, and property tax abatements over a 10-year period.
Muraco put the project on hold in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and escalating building supply costs. He resumed work in earnest in 2023.
The new main building with about 5,000 square feet has space for two restaurants, along with a gym and community room. It also has a 130-foot deck overlooking Onondaga Lake, and the apartments all have balconies.
A second restaurant, the Peacock Bar & Grill that closed in Cicero, had planned to move in, but that didn’t pan out, Muraco said.
The one-bedroom units are 1,150 square feet and the two-bedrooms are 1,250 square feet. Rents range from $2,400 to $2,650 monthly. Some two-bedrooms have two bathrooms and some have one.
There also are 38 garages, which can be rented for an additional $175 per month.
“The project turned out to be more expensive than I had planned, but it’s a great project and really good for Old Liverpool Road,” he said.
As part of the redevelopment, Muraco said he restored the “Jesuit Well” between Le Moyne Manor and Onondaga Lake Parkway. The replica well was built in 1933 to mark the spot where Father Simon Le Moyne reportedly became the first European to find salt springs around Onondaga Lake in 1654.
Contact Elizabeth Doran at 315-470-3012 or edoran@syracuse.com
