Charles Erastus Colton (November 12, 1847 – July 18, 1914) was an American architect who worked in Syracuse, New York, from 1878 until his death in 1914.
Life and career Charles Erastus Colton was born November 12, 1847, in Syracuse to Calvin Colton, a lumber merchant, and Susan E. Colton, née Nottingham. He was educated in the Syracuse public school and claimed to have graduated from Syracuse High School in 1861 but is not included on any lists of graduates.Onondaga's Centennial vol. 2, ed. Dwight H. Bruce (Boston: Boston History Company, 1896)Edward Smith, A History of the Schools of Syracuse (Syracuse: C. W. Bardeen, 1893) He followed several trades until 1875, when, having chosen to join the architectural profession, entered the office of Archimedes Russell, a leading local architect. In 1878 he opened an office of his own and practiced independently until his death in 1914."Long illness for C. E. Colton ends. Well known architect dies at home. Designed city hall," Syracuse Herald, July 18, 1914.
Colton is best remembered as architect of the Syracuse City Hall (1892, NRHP-listed) and the Gere Bank Building (1894, NRHP-listed), both notable local examples of the Richardsonian Romanesque style. When he died, the local press hailed him as the leading architect of Syracuse, surpassing Russell.Evamaria Hardin, Syracuse Landmarks: An AIA Guide to Downtown and Historic Neighborhoods (Syracuse: Onondaga Historical Association and Syracuse University Press, 1993)
Personal life Colton was active in local Republican party affairs; he was offered the office of state architect by governor David B. Hill but refused it. He was married in 1867 to Anna A. Van Buskirk; they had three children, all daughters. He died July 18, 1914, at home in Syracuse at the age of 66.
Architectural works 1879: Howard & Jennings Pump Manufactory, Syracuse, New York 1881: St. John's Episcopal Church, Auburn, New York"Completion of St. John's Church", Auburn News and Bulletin, July 18, 1881. This church later merged with St. Peter's; as of 2026 the St. John's building is a venue known as The Center 1891: Kirk Building, Syracuse, New YorkEngineering and Building Record (August 31, 1889): 196. Known also as the Kirk Fireproof Building and Kirk Block and later as the City Bank Building; demolished 1892: Syracuse City Hall, Syracuse, New York Controversy during construction caused Colton to be removed as architect prior to completion; NRHP-listed 1894: Gere Bank Building, Syracuse, New York NRHP-listed 1894: McCarthy Building, Syracuse, New York Contributes to the NRHP-listed South Salina Street Downtown Historic District 1895: Hogan Block, Syracuse, New York Contributes to the NRHP-listed Armory Square Historic District 1897: Baldwinsville Village Hall, Baldwinsville, New York NRHP-listed 1898: Wilson Building, Syracuse, New York Contributes to the NRHP-listed South Salina Street Downtown Historic District 1905: Iroquois China Company plant, Solvay, New York 1905: Pedestal, Gustavus Sniper monument, Schlosser Park, Syracuse, New YorkPark and Cemetery (April 1904): 35. Frederick Moynihan, sculptor 1908: Homer Town Hall, Homer, New YorkAmerican Architect and Building News (March 25, 1908): 17. 1911: People's African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, Syracuse, New YorkJudith Wellman with Angela Williams, Julva Guins-Clark and Juanita Sales, People's African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church National Register of Historic Places Registration Form (2012) Wallace Rayfield, as architect to the national African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, may have consulted on the design; NRHP-listed 1912: First United Methodist Church, Homer, New YorkReal Estate Record and Builders Guide (March 11, 1911): 488. 1912: Leavenworth Apartments, Syracuse, New York NRHP-listed
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