Repairs to “Square Deal Arch” at JC-Binghamton Line to Begin

It's taken nearly a decade but a contract finally is in place for rehabilitation work on Johnson City's Square Deal Arch.

The village commissioned an engineering study on the Main Street structure in 2015 after some of the stone on the arch started to crumble.

The state Department of Transportation helped the village to stabilize the arch, which is at the Johnson City-Binghamton border.

Mayor Martin Meaney said "finally a bid came in that was within our budget" and a contract has been awarded for the project.

Lupini Construction of Utica will be paid $462,000 for the planned work. Meaney said that amount was significantly less than bid that had previously been submitted for the project.

The three globe lights atop the arch will once again be operational after the repairs are completed. The mayor said a previous arch rehab project, no access panel was installed to facilitate electrical repair work inside the structure.

Meaney said that issue will be addressed. When the work is done, people will notice a black door on the side of the arch to provide access to the interior electrical system.

Repointing of the structure's stonework also is planned. The plans call for the replacement of stones that are in disrepair.

Meaney said "it'll be nice to see the arch return to its former glory."

Construction of the Johnson City arch began in April 1919. Dedication ceremonies for the structure and a companion arch in Endicott were held on Labor Day 1920.

The arches were built on Endicott Johnson Shoe Company workers. Both were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.

VIDEO: A visual inspection of the century-old structure on Main Street at the east end of Johnson City.

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.