Mayor Walsh to Deliver State of the City at Revitalized City Center

Published on December 14, 2023

Walsh returns to where he launched the Syracuse Surge, the strategy that’s helped drive Central New York’s transformation into a national and global technology leader 

Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh will deliver the 2024 State of the City address on Thursday, Jan. 18 at 5:30 p.m. at the newly revitalized City Center in the heart of Downtown Syracuse. The modern mixed-use retail and office building was developed on the concrete and steel frame of a long vacant department store on Salina Street, the center city thoroughfare that has been at the center of the region’s economic and cultural life since the early 1900s. 

“Syracuse is at the center of our region and of our growth. City Center is a metaphor for what is happening in our community. Reborn on a once thriving site for theater and shopping, City Center and its stunning courtyard is generating excitement about what is possible in a growing Syracuse,” said Mayor Walsh. “In the heart of downtown along Syracuse’s main street, City Center is the right location to reflect on our progress and to outline our plans for the future.” 

Walsh presented his 2019 State of City at City Center in the Red House, the regional theater located in space that was renovated in the first phase of work on City Center. In that address, his second, Walsh unveiled the Syracuse Surge, the City's strategy for inclusive growth in the New Economy.  

The Syracuse Surge has been central to the region’s resurgence over the past four years. It led to Syracuse being named New York’s flagship Smart City; the City’s selection as a winner in the JPMorgan Chase Advancing Cities competition; the long-awaited and now underway transformation of the former Central Tech High School into a regional STEAM High School; and the attraction of JMA Wireless to the City’s southside. It also played a key role in Micron’s selection of Onondaga County for its “mega fab” semi-conductor manufacturing site.   

The Mayor’s State of the City address, an annual report from the Mayor of the City to the Common Council, is required by the City’s charter. Walsh’s other addresses have been at the PSLA at Fowler High School, SUNY Upstate Medical University, the Salt City Market, JMA Wireless, and Corcoran High School. 

The State of the City will be broadcast on WCNY Public Broadcasting Channel 24.