Old Binghamton City Hall Getting a Makeover and a New Name

The iconic Binghamton Municipal Building is getting a makeover and a new name more than 120 years after it was constructed.

Boxes containing microwave ovens and refrigerators are stacked in the ornate lobby area of the former City Hall with entrances on State and Collier streets.

The east lobby of the Binghamton Municipal Building on October 9, 2020. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News

The old Grand Royale Hotel signs on the west side of the property now have temporary coverings bearing the name "Park Place Plaza."

Construction workers have been busy, transforming the historic building from a hotel into an apartment complex.

The old Binghamton City Hall at 80 State Street on October 7, 2020. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

The property was acquired by Walls of Constantinople LLC of Scarsdale for $1.8 million last December. Representatives of the ownership group have not responded to repeated requests to comment on the project.

A representative of the developers last March told the city planning commission that 55 apartments are planned for the building. He said they would be marketed to young professionals and graduate students.

A website for the apartment complex is online but it does not yet offer details about the units that will be available.

Binghamton's code enforcement department last year declared the building "unfit for human habitation" after inspectors reported finding several violations.

A condemnation notice posted on the former Binghamton City Hall building on Collier Street in October 2019. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)