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Stained glass windows and six stories of classic pillaring adorn the vacant building, formerly known as the First Baptist Church, in downtown Syracuse. Constructed in 1914, the Gothic-style tower has a long standing history in the Salt City. Since the church’s congregation moved in 1988, the building has sat empty on the corner of Montgomery and East Jefferson streets.

Now, a new establishment plans to take reign: The Mizpah.

“I hope when people out of town come to Syracuse, this is on the list of places they want to check out,” Michael Greene, owner of The Mizpah, said.

The Mizpah is a wine sanctuary and premier event space. The space will undergo construction over the summer and plans to open its doors in late 2025. The Mizpah will feature a self-serve local wine bar and full-service bar in addition to being an event space.

After opening Harvey’s Garden, Syracuse’s first food truck park and beer hall, Greene had a vision for what else the central New York area needed. Greene plans to use what he learned from Harvey’s Garden while developing The Mizpah.

Beginning in 2023, Greene gradually developed the vision and plan for The Mizpah. He faced several challenges along the way due to the distinctiveness and age of the former church.

He originally considered a number of business models like a food hall before settling on a wine sanctuary and event space. He worked to find a business model where the revenue was just right to make necessary renovations for the building.

Greene plans to highlight several local wines from wineries in the Finger Lakes region. By offering guests a wide variety of wines, he hopes it encourages them to come back and try even more.

“Wine will be our identity. We’ll plan to have a robust wine list. Everything from more inexpensive options to the whole gamut of prices,” Greene said. “So if they want to sample really expensive wines, they can try an ounce of that.”

When developing the brand idea and identity for The Mizpah, Margaret Dietz, creative director and designer for the business, focused on its versatility. She didn’t want to only highlight its extensive wine offerings or space for weddings and parties. Dietz honed in on the building and its one-of-a-kind offerings.

“It’s so versatile that we ended up just focusing on the architecture and the beauty of the building in itself,” Dietz said. “What happens inside the building is so versatile and useful to our community, it’s not really about the specific events that happen inside, it’s about this historic building being celebrated.”

The Gothic-style building also inspired the business’s logos and designs, Dietz said. Dietz hand drew the detailed church, sketching out each line and rugged edge. She used programs like Adobe Illustrator to perfect the sketch and ensure The Mizpah’s logo aligned with the silhouette of the church. Dietz said it was all a game of perspective when she designed the logo — taking time to get the imagery just right.

By reviving and restoring the old church building, instead of demolishing it, Greene could preserve the architecture and history of the former church, Dietz said. After being vacant for over 30 years, several features of the building deteriorated, such as its windows and siding. Greene’s goal is to stop this decay in its tracks and celebrate its beauty through his business model, he said.

When working to preserve the over 100-year-old building, the team at The Mizpah encountered several issues. Zach Badger, the project manager, said the detailed architectural elements — like woodwork or stonework — of the building are hard to recreate in today’s building standards.

“Our intent is to preserve as much of that as we can and celebrate where it’s at, while still trying to maintain a reasonable budget for the project,” Badger said.

The next step in The Mizpah’s journey is to finalize construction plans and design drawings with building finishes, Badger said. Upon the completion of these documents, The Mizpah team plans to go into the market and obtain contractor bidding pricing.

“Because of the uniqueness of the project, there needs to be a little bit of a backstory for contractors to understand what exactly needs to be done and what the target is for this project,” Badger said.

In contrast with new business coming in and new buildings coming up, Dietz hopes The Mizpah will encourage central New York residents and visitors to relish in the rich history of Syracuse. The city has so much potential and Greene draws from the beauty of the city and its history, Dietz said.

The Mizpah will fill a hole in the industry of downtown Syracuse, Dietz said. Although there are a number of restaurants and bars downtown, The Mizpah adds a spin with its own niche.

“It’s a different experience than anyone has seen in our city,” Dietz said. “It’s going to be an attraction for people to come to the city and be like ‘You gotta go to Mizpah.’”

Published on April 24, 2025 at 12:57 am
Contact Sydney: sabrocki@syr.edu