The narrow building at 537-539 N. Salina St. has been purchased by its neighbor, Francesca's Cucina (at right) to be used an auxilliary kitchen for making pasta, bread and desserts. The building was a pasta shop for decades in the 20th century. (Don Cazentre | dcazentre@syracuse.com)

Syracuse, N.Y. — It’s been known as the “pasta shop” in Syracuse’s Little Italy neighborhood since the middle of the 20th century, even long after it closed.

Now it’s coming back — as a pasta shop and more.

The very narrow building at 537-539 N. Salina has been bought by its next-door neighbor, the Italian restaurant Francesca’s Cucina. Francesca’s owner George Angeloro plans to use it as an auxiliary kitchen space for making pasta, bread and desserts. It will be called Francesca’s Bake House.

“It’s always been a well-known place here on Salina and was definitely known for pasta,” Angeloro said. “I think my grandparents went there to buy pasta for Sunday dinner every week.”

Aside from its pasta history, the building is also noteworthy for its size, or lack of it. In a 2012 story, former Post-Standard columnist Dick Case called it “perhaps the skinniest building in Syracuse.”

The 3-story building, which was built in the early 1890s, measures just 13.9 feet between the outer walls. Inside, it’s only 11 feet wide in places.

Could that mean Francesca’s will be limited to making thin spaghetti and not thicker bucatini?

“Good joke, but we’re going to making a lot of specialty pastas there, along with our breads and desserts,” Angeloro said. Francesca’s crew, led by baker Leslie Lisk, already makes those things in the main restaurant building at 545 N. Salina St.

One of Angeloro’s goals in buying the new building was to free up space in the basement and other areas of Francesca’s.

The plan is to start using the building later this year to make pasta, bread and desserts for service in the restaurant dining room. At some point, perhaps closer to the holidays, some of the products may be available for sale direct to customers to take home.

Angeloro says it could be somewhat similar to the situation at Pastabilities in Armory Square, which has a shop called Pasta’s Daily Bread across the street. In both cases, food destined for the restaurant has to be delivered from outside since there are no connecting passageways.

“If they can do it across the street, we can do it next door,” Angeloro said.

In this 2012 photo, the exterior of 537-539 N. Salina St. indicates that it was once home to a pasta shop. (Dennis Nett/The Post-Standard)

Angeloro has had his eye on the skinny building for a while, and said he plans to complete restorations begun by the most recent owner, Joe Falcone.

He plans to maintain as much of the historic feel of the place as he can. That won’t include the large-scale pasta-making equipment made in Italy that Falcone found when he took over.

It’s just as well, Angeloro said, because “I don’t know where we’d find replacement parts.”

Also gone is the sign etched in the window over the front door, which once read “Michael’s Genuine Fresh Italian Products (home made noodles).”

According to Case, “Michael was Michael DiRienz, who turned out pastas of all kinds in the little shop from 1947, when he bought the building, until his death in about 1995. Then his wife, Angelina, took over. The DiRienzes lived upstairs.”

In a Facebook post Francesca’s noted “It was built in approximately 1891. This means it was built around the same time the ancestors to the Francesca’s restaurants arrived from Italy and built their first restaurant in Syracuse’s Little Italy.”

Angeloro and the Francesca’s teams are inviting long-time North Siders and their descendants to help them fill in more history.

“If you have any memories of the original pasta shop we would love to hear them,” the Facebook post reads.

Dave Byers, who now lives in Milwaukee, sent syracuse.com this photo of his former apartment at 539 N. Salina St. This shows his living room and kitchen on the second floor in 2018. (Dave Byers photo)

More CNY dining and restaurant news:

Celebrated Italian restaurant in suburbs mysteriously closes overnight

Syracuse’s Laci’s Tapas Bar to reopen with new owner, same concept

The former Borio’s Restaurant on Oneida Lake is closed. Will it reopen?

Don Cazentre writes for NYup.com, syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Reach him at dcazentre@nyup.com, or follow him at NYup.com, on Twitter or Facebook.

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