After a 40-year absence, construction company William H. Lane Incorporated has returned to Downtown Binghamton.
Mayor Matthew Ryan and other community leaders attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 2, to celebrate the company’s move to its new headquarters.
“William H. Lane Incorporated is a premier construction company with a long tradition of important projects in our city and the surrounding area, and I applaud their return to Binghamton,” Ryan said. “In addition to their successful transition Downtown, Lane Inc. has done an impressive job upgrading the building and attracting additional tenants.”
According to Ryan, the move is a sign of the city’s continued growth.
“They are a wonderful asset to our community, and another example of how Binghamton is an increasingly vital center for students, artists and businesses,” he said.
William H. Lane Inc. was established in 1967, with its first office at 37 Washington St. in Binghamton. In the 1970s, after having sold the premises to United Methodist Homes, the company moved to Kirkwood. It then moved to Johnson City in 2006, before finally returning to Binghamton.
In its history, William H. Lane Inc. has completed many standout projects in Binghamton such as the Metro Center, the M&T Bank building, the Holiday Inn Arena and most recently, the Broome County Library. After the 2006 flood forced Lourdes Hospital to be evacuated, the business played a key role in the restoration project, and ultimately won the Build New York Award for its efforts.
William H. Lane Inc. has taken up at 113 Court St., formerly home to Smyk & Smyk Law Offices, which recently closed its doors.
“Being in Downtown Binghamton facilitates our operation with respect to being close to the governmental facilities, to our attorneys and to our financial institutions,” William H. Lane, founder of William H. Lane Inc., said. “It makes life much simpler for us. The city of Binghamton has cooperated with us in as many ways as they possibly could to make it an easy move.”
According to Lane, having the company’s headquarters located in Downtown Binghamton will not only help to renovate and beautify the city, but also to increase its exposure and attract new residents.
“We are a contractor that travels the northeast part of the United States,” Lane said. “The fact that we carry on all of our signage ‘Binghamton, New York’ certainly sends a message in that area.”
In addition to bringing more outside residents, the new headquarters is expected to attract new tenants because of the significant funding William H. Lane Inc. has put into renovating its heating and electrical systems. The building also now houses two additional businesses: Parallax Media and Valletta Ritson and Company.
William H. Lane is one of 25 new businesses in Binghamton to open their doors in 2008, many of which are located in the Downtown core.