Johnson City’s Historic Workers Arch Won’t Return This Year

Plans for reassembling the Workers Arch on Main Street at the Johnson City-Binghamton line have been delayed.

The arch - which had been a fixture for more than a century - is being restored. Work began at the site in April 2024 but operations were halted after a few weeks when it became apparent the structure's condition was worse than initially believed.

The arch's stone and steel components then were removed from Main Street. After a revised restoration plan was approved by the state Historic Preservation Office, work resumed on the project.

Village officials had expected the iconic structure could be reassembled starting by the end of this month. But much to Mayor Martin Meaney's dismay, that won't happen.

Meaney told WNBF News that Fisher Associates of Binghamton, an engineering firm hired to work on the restoration job, had delays in finalizing design plans for the project.

The mayor said he was "very upset" to learn that the snag meant the arch would not be back in place by the end of the current construction season.

Meaney said new, larger foundations for the restored structure are expected to be completed in the next several weeks.

But the components of the arch itself now aren't expected to be be reassembled until next April.

Construction of the Johnson City Workers Arch began in 1919. The dedication ceremony for the structure was held on September 6, 1920. A companion structure to the west in Endicott also was dedicated on that Labor Day.

Both arches were constructed by Endicott Johnson Shoe Company employees.

WNBF NEWS VIDEO: We observed workers busy at the arch in the spring of last year.

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com or call (607) 545-2250. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.