The Movie Theater at the Urban Core

January 31, 2024

A common theme that we hear in recent years is that we are always connected but never truly connecting. Our phones and computers allow us to constantly check in on friends, family, news items, and go down rabbit holes of our own. But it is often lamented that this ultra connection has severed our connection with the here and now.

I agree with this sentiment to a certain extent, especially as someone who struggles to put down their phone throughout the day, and that’s why my interest was sparked on a recent episode of the Ezra Klein Show podcast. The episode, which focused on how to find your own aesthetic taste, took a short detour to talk about going to the movies. In 2024, the movie theatre is one of the last places where being on your phone is frowned upon, and often results in people expressing their displeasure vocally. The importance of this is not the public pressure to stay off your phone, but the result that you are forced to engage fully with the story in front of you, developing your own meanings and takeaways, before you are able to be influenced by outside sources.

Obviously you may be influenced by a review you read or the opinion of a friend before you go. But at the moment, you’re focused on the screen. Developing questions, forming connections, and determining your opinions on the work in front of you. This is why the movie theater is important and why we should find ways to work them back into our urban fabric.

For over 100 years, movies have brought strangers together and the movie theater has been at the center of the action.

Former Brighton Theater

The Palace Theatre

Starting out as novelty where crowds famously feared that a train was barreling down on them, the medium quickly became an artful way to tell stories and explore new ideas. By the early 1900s, small neighborhood theaters and nickelodeons (named after the price of entry) were popping up across cities and towns. Due to their limited space and small screens, these first small theaters filled storefronts in neighborhood business districts, playing collections of short films (15-20 minutes typically). By 1908, over 8,000 of these nickelodeons were spread across the US, with many packed to the brim with customers in standing room only conditions.

But soon, these small theaters gave way to larger venues aimed at playing longer films and providing more comfortable settings. In the later 1910s and into the 1920s, larger neighborhood theaters, akin to Syracuse’s still standing Palace Theater, began to anchor their respective urban neighborhoods. When looking at lists of theaters across the City of Syracuse during this time, as provided in Norman O. Keim’s Our Movie Houses: A History of Film & Cinematic Innovation in Central New York, you see this mini movie palaces popping up in each neighborhood, such as the Brighton Theater on S Salina St or the Westcott Cinema on Westcott St.

While these neighborhood gems served their communities as gathering spaces, the true palaces were reserved for urban downtowns.

The RKO Keith’s, the Paramount, and, of course, the Loew’s State Theatre, now known as the Landmark, were grand cinema houses that lined S Salina St in Downtown Syracuse. Their opulence set them apart from all other movie theaters in the region and formed the core of a theater district who’s impact is still felt today.

Pantages Theater - Minneapolis

James M. Nederlander Theatre - Chicago

Movie palaces of this scale allowed the average citizen to escape into a world of royalty for a few hours, as most feature films were accompanied by short films and news reels before the main attraction rolled. Movies were events that allowed you to stay informed and engage with the culture of the day.

Throughout the 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s, a select few films, often musicals or big budget historical epics, would utilize a promotional technique known as the roadshow. Roadshows would travel the country to these magnificent movie palaces and be presented on the scale of a live performance. Often props, or replicas of props, would follow the film to create buzz around the community. Classics such as the Sound of Music, the Ten Commandments, and Gone with the Wind were all presented in this fashion.

Slowly this elevated place of movies within the culture would fade. The advent of TV in the 1950s, home video in the 1980s, and the swift currents of suburbanization would zap the cultural relevance of the movie theater. Soon, multiplexes, especially in suburban shopping malls, would come to dominate the industry. In Syracuse, many of our neighborhood theaters would close, from the Genesee Theater in Westvale Plaza to Cinema North in Mattydale, or transition out of the business, as the Palace Theater in Eastwood has. Movie going habits would continue to shift and the experience would become more common place and less of a to-do. In many ways, this is a positive, as more and more people were able to take part, but the importance of the theater in our lives would diminish as it would become buried the commercial landscape.

This decline would accelerate even further over the last several years as TV screens have grown larger, streaming services have taken over, and our attention spans have dwindled. When I talk to friends about going to the movies, often they’ll opt to wait for the movie to come out on streaming so they can watch it at home. They’ll complain about the cost, the uncomfortable seats, the unwillingness to travel to the mall (or fear of the mall as some unfortunately feel), or the belief that their TV is a good substitute.

So why do I bring this up? Movie theaters still exist. Even in Syracuse we still have a few options (Regal, Movie Tavern, the Manlius Cinema, and the Hollywood). Why should we care about movie theaters? And how does this relate to our urban fabric?

We will never go back to the golden age of cinema, and it probably is not desirable to. While going to the movies was an event, it wasn’t always accessible to everyone, and it still isn’t. Multiplexes, like Regal and Movie Tavern, allow people to see a far wider variety of movies than the single screen theaters of the past allowed, and streaming allows for even more variety.

While our viewing habits may have changed permanently, we should still celebrate the moments we are able to gather together as a community and have a collective experience. We should be given moments where we are fully engaged in a cultural event that we not only shape our own views on without constant distractions, but also connect with others as they do the same.

The legacy theaters, such as the Manlius Cinema and Palace Theater, should be preserved and encouraged to keep working as movie theaters. They should be encouraged to curate content that is distinct from the multiplexes and provide experiences typically only available in larger cities. We should encourage the development of other neighborhood theaters that tie into local coffee shops, restaurants, bars, etc. The Little Theater in Rochester is a prime example of a local theater acting as its own center of gravity to benefit the community around it.

For our former cinema palaces, such as the Landmark Theatre, explore opportunities to revisit their legacies of hosting roadshows. While many have been converted to handle traveling Broadway shows, which has seen tremendous success, there are opportunities to re engage with their cinematic histories. Schedule special screenings of movie musicals or grand epics, both new and old. Host film festivals, including for local student filmmakers, providing them an opportunity to see their work in a unique venue.

In the end, this is really just a call for each of us to find new, or old, ways to engage, as any good city should allow you to do. Our best urban spaces and experiences will give you a reason to disconnect from your devices and embrace a shared experience. But for now, maybe let’s just start by seeing a movie. And don’t forget the popcorn.

The Case for a Holiday Village

November 30, 2023

City sidewalks, busy sidewalks, dressed in holiday style

In the air there's a feeling of Christmas

Children laughing, people passing, meeting smile after smile

And on every street corner you hear

Silver bells, silver bells

It's Christmas time in the city

- “Silver Bells” by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans

“Silver Bells,” like many other holiday classics, celebrate cities and the gathering spaces they offer during this festive season. As I wrote about back in 2021, the lights, displays, shopping, and events highlight walkability and the ways people engage with their communities. One holiday tradition I only briefly touched on, but think is worth exploring further, is the advent of the Holiday Village.

Holiday Villages, which are essentially mini-neighborhoods that pop up in public squares, are a German tradition stretching back as far as the 16th century. Filled with food and drinks, and plenty of small shops, these villages become key gathering places for both residents and visitors alike. The tradition has since grown across Europe and into the United States.

In Europe, Holiday Villages often include dramatic lighting displays with small, ornate sheds creating their own internal street network. Typically located in historic city centers, the traditional architecture around the squares are adorned with lights that highlight their features.

In the US, cities big and small have begun embracing these Holiday Villages.

Bryant Park - NYC

Market Square - Pittsburgh

Wrigleyville - Chicago

ROC Holiday Village - Rochester

New York City’s Department of Parks & Recreation build out several small villages across the City filled with small scale vendors and snack shacks. The village in Bryant Park offers free ice skating as well.

Pittsburgh’s Market Square sees itself transformed into an Alpine village throughout the holiday season, attracting both local and international vendors for visitors to enjoy. Market Square itself is lined with bars and restaurants year round, providing shoppers with plenty of places to extend their stay into the night.

Chicago’s Wrigley Field sees its new public square turned into Christkindlmarket Wrigleyville. The ballpark installs an ice skating rink just outside its walls and lines it with many German-inspired huts and local craft artists.

Closer to home, Rochester, for the past five years, has hosted the ROC Holiday Village in Martin Luther King Jr. Park. Similar to many of the larger Holiday Villages, the shops surround a public ice skating rink, offering fun activities for all ages. A fairly unique feature to Rochester is the Igloo Inn, which allows groups to rent large, inflatable igloos that are furnished in cozy, classic holiday styles.

So why doesn’t Syracuse have a Holiday Village? While it may be too late to get a village in place for the holidays this year, there is plenty for us to think about if we want to organize one for next year.

First, to consider its location.

Nearly all large festivals in the City of Syracuse take place in Clinton Square, and for good reason. Its wide open layout makes it easy to quickly build up and take down tents for vendors and performance stages. It is also the location for the City’s outdoor skating rink and municipal Christmas tree. At the same time, these are some of the reasons Clinton Square should not be considered.

Back in 2018 I reflected on some of the shortcomings of Clinton Square, from the lack of tree coverage and natural congregating spaces to the windswept feeling caused by short surrounding buildings that fail to address the square. When you compare Clinton Square to the location of Holiday Villages mentioned above, it lacks the desired “human scale” they display.

Clinton Square - Syracuse

Bryant Park - NYC

When discussing “human scale” in the context of a plaza, we are mostly considering the sense of enclosure they provide. Clinton Square, with its wide open area and relatively short surrounding buildings on 3 out of 4 sides, fails to provide any sense of enclosure. When you look at Bryant Park in NYC, which is more than twice the size of Clinton Square, the height of the surrounding buildings, along with its tree canopy, helps provide a sense of enclosure that is inviting.

The good thing is we don’t need to look too far to find a better option.

Hanover Square, located across S Salina St from Clinton Square, offers this sense of enclosure while also adding architectural interest and commercial activity.

So many of our holiday traditions date back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, from the look of Santa Claus to Christmas cards and carols. It is one of the many reasons the Christmas Villages many of us put up in our homes (including the one I put in my window above) typically mimic Victorian era buildings. Luckily for Syracuse, Hanover Square, the first commercial square in the City, still maintains many of these historic touches.

Adding to the architectural display, the square’s layout already emphasizes creating congregation points, with built in seating, perfect corners to gather, and a wonderful tree canopy. On top of this, the City has permanently closed two blocks of E Genesee St to through traffic, allowing people to flow between businesses without having to interact with cars. To add to this, the City should consider closing the 100 block of E Water St during the holiday season to open the square up further and create a true destination. For the past two summers, the City has closed the street on Thursdays during August to host Hanover Thursdays, a weekly concert series, which have been wildly successful. Closing the block for 3-4 weeks is a taller ask, but its a worthwhile endeavor. Should the event prove successful, similar treatments currently in place on E Genesee St should be explored, blocking cars from driving through but still allowing access when absolutely necessary.

So what might this Holiday Village look like?

Hanover Square already finds itself covered in lights and wreaths, providing a festive spirit. During Hanover Thursdays, vendors at tables and under tents tuck themselves into the corners and along the street. A Holiday Village would need more sturdy structures than a simple tent. Wooden huts would keep with the more traditional vibes that many Holiday Villages aim to display. You could also aim for a slightly more modern vibe, using glass stalls similar to those seen in Bryant Park. Either way, they should be sure to open up towards the bars and restaurants that currently line the street while creating a more complex, maze like inner network of streets. Holiday Villages should be about wandering and bumping into experiences, not straight lines and grids, like so many of our city streets are.

For the second block of Hanover Square, where the Communion Wine and Spirits is located, the City should work with the new owners of City Hall Commons to open up the atrium for smaller craft artists to share spaces and provide opportunities for visitors to warm up. This block of Hanover Square always feels underutilized, likely due to only one store being present on it. By extending the Holiday Village to this second block, you help tie the two spaces together and can showcase what is already an architecturally beautiful space. With added traffic, and an introduction to this space, it may become more attractive to other business owners to locate, especially once City Hall Commons finishes its renovation and adds hundreds of residents.

Hanover Square - Both Blocks

Hanover Square - Main Square

Hanover Square - Atrium Block

There’s many more logistics that would need to be worked out in order to build our very own Holiday Village, but the City of Syracuse deserves one. Syracuse is a city built on events and we struggle to translate that into every day activity on our streets. A Holiday Village that runs for nearly a month begins to bridge that divide. Short enough to still be an event, but long enough to encourage people to visit repeatedly and perhaps start to see the enjoyment of walking around Downtown to do their shopping. Let’s start building back that downtown culture and get ourselves a Holiday Village!

The Walk: To Middle Ages

October 31, 2023

The Walk is a series of blog posts dedicated to documenting the current experience of walking between Downtown Syracuse and its surrounding neighborhoods. The purpose of these pieces is to highlight the importance of connections between neighborhoods. Small pockets of walkable spaces exist throughout the City, but there are large gaps between each. Building out safe, pleasant, and convenient routes between the City center and nearby neighborhoods is a great place to start.

To many people, the Middle Ages Brewing Company is already in Downtown Syracuse, and they may be right. It is located right near the heart of the City, just over half a mile from Clinton Square. In years past, plenty of National Grid employees, with its headquarters located just a few blocks away, would line the street with their cars during the day as the closest place to store them for free.

But, according to the City of Syracuse, it lies within the Park Ave neighborhood on the City’s westside. And there are clear barriers between the Park Ave neighborhood and Downtown Syracuse that you notice when you’re on foot. Barriers that only require a little thinking to overcome and stitch these neighborhoods together as they should be.

Clinton Square

As with all walks in this series, we begin in Clinton Square. As I wrote years ago, Clinton Square, in its current form, does not provide the feeling of a human scale space. The Square’s wide open layout leaves people without good spaces to cluster. The short buildings along three of the four edges adds to this effect. Historically, the Square was surrounded by a dense wall of architecturally ornate buildings, which helped frame the public space and provided visual interest to those wandering by, spending time in the smaller public park, or coming through along the Erie Canal. You can see this vividly in the historic photos above from the Library of Congress compared to more recent photos.

Today, the low slung former home of the Post Standard, now named The Post, and the bland wall of brown brick that is the Atrium, offer poor substitutes.While the buildings themselves do little to enliven the walk around the Square, the renovation of the Post has led to new investments in sidewalks and street trees which do make the walk more pleasant, if not more interesting.

As you walk through along the Square towards Erie Blvd W, you pass by the old Clinton Exchange, a former post office turned headquarters to the mall developer, Pyramid Group. The building opens up beautifully to the Square, but its small plaza is often blocked by parked cars belonging to employees or closed off during festivals to keep the general public at bay. Its a very insular life for a building that began as a vital public building.

As we reach Erie Blvd W, the architecture of the Erie Canal era is apparent. When the Canal ran through the City, building facades facing the canal were utilitarian at best, while their facades on Water St were ornate and welcoming. Canal barges needed easy access to loading areas, so narrow sidewalks lined by flat, brick finished buildings were the norm. The Amos building is one of the finest examples of this dichotomy. The Clinton Exchange, with its main entrance of Clinton St, also de-emphasizes its facade along Erie Blvd W, with maintenance doors opening up to the street. At the same time, a wider sidewalk, lined with street trees helps to keep the street welcoming and pleasant to be on as you approach possibly the most iconic building in the City of Syracuse.

Past an Art Deco Icon

Sitting at the corner of Erie Blvd W and Franklin St, the former Niagara Mohawk (NiMo) headquarters, now the regional headquarters for National Grid, makes its presence known. Chrome and lights cover the structure, making a striking sight no matter what time of day you wander past. The building is often cited as one of the best examples of art deco architecture in the country, often mentioned alongside the likes of the Chrysler Building and Empire State Building. At the same time, its iconic crown is only a small part of the larger building complex. As you pass the main entrance, with its ornate marquee, you are greeted by the bulk of the building - an uninspired tan brick wall with black stripes. The building no longer concerns itself with the street level and instead focuses on efficiency, which leads to a deadened streetwall.

NiMo’s neighbor to the south offers little help. While the corner at Erie Blvd W and Franklin St is activated by a Cafe Kubal, Guadalajara Mexican cantina, and Talking Cursive Brewing Company, the bulk of the building, known as Creekwalk Commons, does little to address the street. The building’s design in some ways mimics the back end of the NiMo building, with stripes of alternating colors (red and tan) and lack of pedestrian oriented design.

When we look at the street as a whole, you get the sense that people should not be walking here. The street, four lanes wide, is lined with cobra style street lights, more common place on highways and major arterials in suburban areas. Minimal street trees are present along the block and the ones that do exist are evergreens pushed right up against Creekwalk commons. These trees provide minimal shade to people as they walk and offer zero protection from vehicles, both visual protection and physical, as true street trees help to visually narrow the roadway and slow drivers down.

The built environment along this corridor is screaming that it's meant for cars, but there is room for improvement if we’re willing to chip away at the space dedicated to cars.

First thing’s first, we need proper street trees. While the existing sidewalks are already wide, there is plenty of space to widen them further and provide ample room for street trees and benches. Additional road space should be given over to people on bikes. While Erie Blvd E is home to the Empire State Trail, there is no equivalent facility connecting the west side of the City. A protected, two-way cycle track would help bring cyclists from west side neighborhoods into Downtown and connect them to the regional trail network. This would leave space for one travel lane in each direction for vehicles, along with on-street parking.

West St

Just past the NiMo building and Creekwalk Commons you reach the bridge across West St. As discussed in The Walk: To Tipperary Hill, West St acts as a mini highway through the heart of the City, creating an unpleasant barrier to cross. While Erie Blvd W does not directly intersect with West St, it is home to two on-ramps and an off-ramp. As with most on- and off-ramps, cars looking to use them are often only on the lookout for other cars, with all other people on the street entering their mental blindspot.

The I-81 - Community Grid plan leaves this interchange largely unchanged, as West St will continue to run beneath Erie Blvd. Narrowing the roadway and providing additional, protected spaces for other road users would help improve a person’s ability to safely cross these on-ramps, but the bridge, with its overgrown brush in spots, will always make the Park Ave neighborhood feel separate from Downtown. Widening the sidewalks and adding pedestrian scale, ornamental lighting would go a long way to make the space more comfortable for people on foot, but the view of West St will never have the same feeling as crossing a body of water or green landscape. One way to address this issue is to have a visual anchor on the other side of the bridge to draw you in. Lucky for us, there’s a large vacant building that is ready for replacement.

Vacant and Underused Spaces

A large, red warehouse sits just west of Downtown Syracuse. It has been vacant for as long as I can remember. Vacant buildings of this scale can deaden spaces as they loom over any neighboring buildings. They also present opportunities.

If the building is structurally sound, its redevelopment into a mixed-use building, including a modern expansion into the vacant lot next door, would help visually connect the two neighborhoods while also adding residents within a quick walking distance. The commercial spaces on the first floor could also play off the nearby bars and restaurants in Creekwalk Commons and Middle Ages. One of the reasons Armory Square and Hanover Square are so lively is the concentration of uses. Being able to comfortably and quickly walk between different bars and restaurants invites more people into the neighborhood. Give people options and they will take them.

If the building is not structurally sound, a full teardown may be in order, but the same design considerations should be maintained. Fill the full block, with the building’s facade coming up straight to the street.

Unfortunately, many of the spaces further west down Erie Blvd W are built in a suburban style, set back from the road with parking prominent out front. While this walk does not take you in this direction, the development of a strong anchor in this location may encourage further redevelopment in a more urban style. 538 Erie and the Dietz Lofts, which both occupy former industrial buildings, already exemplify this type of development. With another larger addition, the neighborhood will continue to approach a critical mass in terms of demand.

The Final Stretch

Once past the vacant land, you experience both good and bad examples of urban design.

On the positive side, the neighborhood benefits from the use of small, urban parks. Leavenworth Park, which is further west of Middle Ages, is the perfect scale park for our urban neighborhoods, filled with flowers, trees, grassy open spaces, and a playground. Directly in front of Middle Ages, a small extension of the park offers half court basketball and more tree cover. These small parks give people easy access to public green spaces that welcome impromptu interactions between neighbors and visitors alike.

On the negative side, we have a confusing intersection and car storage occupying space ideally set aside for walking.

First the intersection. The Plum St / Tracy Street / Wilkinson St intersection lacks predictability with its wide open lanes and lack of pedestrian infrastructure. Squaring off the eastbound Tracy St approach and forcing drivers to turn right and then left to go down Wilkinson St would help make movements more predictable while also shortening crossing distances.

While the small park and Middle Ages both have sidewalks, all other surrounding properties do not, forcing people to either walk in the street or on uneven ground. If we truly want a walkable neighborhood, we need to provide spaces for people to walk. Building out the sidewalk network, through existing car storage areas, is key to improving these connections. We cannot let pedestrian infrastructure be afterthoughts, but instead prioritize investments in it.

As you arrive at Middle Ages, you’re greeted by outdoor picnic tables where visitors can sit and enjoy the sun on a nice day, or watch the many outdoor concerts they hold throughout the warmer months of the year. This is exactly what breweries and restaurants should be doing to engage with their neighborhoods, and we’re lucky to have such a place just a short walk from Downtown.

The Walk: To the Ballpark

September 7, 2023

Back in the early 1990s, the City of Syracuse and Onondaga County were faced with the serious probability of losing their minor league baseball team, the Syracuse Chiefs, if they did not replace their six decade old stadium, MacArthur Stadium. The search for where to put a new ballpark came down to two locations - Downtown Syracuse behind Armory Square or in the parking lot of the old stadium. Downtown Syracuse of the 1990s was a far cry from the neighborhood it is today, and the City was still in full suburbanization mode, emphasizing easy access for those who chose to leave the City instead of focusing on those who decided to stay. As a result, the new ballpark began rising in the parking lot of MacArthur Stadium, with the old field destined to be paved over for car storage.

Today, NBT Bank Stadium recently underwent a $25 million renovation in 2020, as a way to keep the team, now the Syracuse Mets, in town for another 25 years. Now, towards the end of my 5th season as a weekend season ticket holder, I am off to the ballpark for Sunday brunch. While this walk is a bit outside the two-mile limit I had originally set out (roughly 2.4 miles), I think we should see how the decisions made nearly 30 years ago impact our ability to experience the City on a day out at the ballpark.

While you could take the Onondaga Creekwalk most of the way to the ballpark, I feel the more interesting, and more important, walk will take us north on N Salina St, cutting through Little Italy and the Northside. But, as always, we will begin from Downtown.

Downtown - Under I-81

From Clinton Square you begin by heading north along N Salina St. The roadway deserves its place as Syracuse’s Main Street. Extra wide sidewalks line each side of the street with freshly painted buffered bike lanes along the curb. The bike lanes have allowed the City to reduce the roadway from four lanes to three, with a full bus shelter on the northwest corner of the N Salina / James St intersection.

The old Post Standard building, now known as the Post, recently went through a renovation that helps to clean up this corner, while the eastern side is fronted by an historic bank building, which has been around since the days of the Erie Canal.

This is generally where the positives end.

As I noted in a previous post, as you head north towards I-81, the buildings quickly fall away and you’re surrounded by parking lots and the hulking mass of the Post Standard’s former printing press and loading docks. While the parking lot on the eastern side is lined with trees and flowers, it does little to enliven the area.

As you approach the I-81 bridge, only a small mural under the roadway brings color to the space. An old industrial building, currently under renovation to become apartments, sits between the I-81 and I-690 bridges. The removal of I-81 will help free this building and improve residential access to the nearby businesses. The highway removal will also improve pedestrian access on the western sidewalk, which currently forces people across an off-ramp with bad sight-lines, creating a dangerous crossing situation.

Little Italy (I-81 to Lodi St)

Once you’re out from beneath the highway, you’ve entered what has traditionally been known as Little Italy. While this moniker is still used today, the neighborhood has continued to diversify far beyond its Italian roots. The Northside is billed as “Home to generations from many nations,” and the current experience along N Salina St exemplifies that sentiment. Shops that cater to dozens of different cultures and backgrounds can be found throughout the neighborhood, including many with African and Middle Eastern roots. Some Italian, or Italian style, businesses still exist, including Francesca’s and Biscotti’s, but they are no longer surrounded by similar establishments as they once used to be.

If any neighborhood was ripe for growth, it is Little Italy. The older building stock, with many structures built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, lends itself to apartment conversions and walkable stores and restaurants. Even some of the newer buildings, like the Dunkin’, mimic this classic style. But any redevelopment should take care to preserve the local businesses that currently call this street home. The incredible diversity of cultures found on the City’s Northside should find themselves welcome on this street, and visitors should come to appreciate what it has to offer.

Throughout Little Italy the wide sidewalks found Downtown continue. Often these sidewalks are 25 ft wide, providing ample space for outdoor dining or sidewalk sales. The buildings that line the street are pedestrian oriented with commercial spaces on the ground floor and apartments above. While many are currently in use, several prominent buildings sit vacant or underutilized, including a vacant grocery store, which could serve both the Northside and Downtown residents. One thing this street is missing is a tree canopy. Beyond small pocket parks, the street is nearly devoid of street trees, which makes walking along the corridor on a hot day far less enjoyable than it could be.

While the built environment lends itself to walking and experiencing it on foot, the Butternut St / State St / N Salina St intersection acts as a sharp divide.

Forming the shape of a triangle, the intersection does little to help anyone get through easily. As a driver, lights often don’t line up, catching you in the middle of the multi-step intersection. As someone on foot, its tough to determine who is turning where, when. Add to that the thoroughly overbuilt State St, with four wide lanes that welcome speeding cars.

Minimal changes will occur to this intersection as a result of the I-81 project, namely a slight realignment of the Butternut St bridge and a removal of the on-ramp to the highway. But we should go further. In fact, we should remove and reshape large portions of this intersection to make it friendlier to people on foot.

Closing State St from Butternut to N Salina would allow for the expansion of the existing grassy median into a full fledged park. It would also slow drivers through forcing turns. On the remaining legs of State St, we should look to narrow the roadways and right-size our streets for the fairly low-level of traffic they actually receive. If done correctly, this intersection could become a place to be instead of a place to pass through,

Past the Butternut intersection, the wide sidewalks continue alongside historic architecture until you reach the most prominent landmark of the neighborhood, Assumption Church.

The two bell towers define the Northside’s skyline and its campus of buildings anchor the area around Catawba St. The old school has been transformed into apartments over the last ten years, with its gym now serving as an indoor soccer pitch for youth leagues. The parish’s food pantry also serves as a vital community asset for those in need. As a result, walks near the church are often accompanied by people of all walks of life. Those volunteering at the pantry, those needing its services due to recent hardships, and those who have come to rely on it for near daily necessities. It is the most visible example of the church adhering to its stated mission, and yet, many find it uncomfortable to walk by.

As I noted in my walk to Tipperary Hill, these spaces reinforce the need for robust housing and relief programs that go far beyond walkability. But these are important issues to note and find ways to address. This may be through an abundant housing strategy, drug rehabilitation programs, job training, and readjustments to our social safety net programs. As noted before, I highly recommend a conversation on a recent episode of the Ezra Klein Show as a starting point on addressing these issues. There is also positive movement from the Syracuse Police Department in changing their approach to addressing the needs of individuals in these difficult positions.

Lodi Intersection

While the Butternut St / State St/ N Salina St intersection is complex, the intersection with Lodi St is far more complicated in terms of navigation. Similar to the previous intersection, six street legs converge at the same location, but this time there is no island helping to define the movements.

The southbound approach of Lodi St reaches the intersection has vehicles stopping over 160 ft back from the center of the intersection and is bordered by a parking lot that pushes cars into the intersection as they exit.

Hills on the westbound approach of Kirkpatrick St and the northbound approach of Lodi St reduce visibility of people on foot, and also force them to walk up and down stairs if they are to use cross the streets legally.

Again, this is an intersection in need of some trimming.

Southbound Lodi should see its movements blocked before the intersection, creating either a dead-end street or pushing drivers to turn on N Salina St before the traffic signal.

This should be paired with a narrowing of the other approaches. Currently, the northbound approach of N Salina St measures over 70 ft in width for only three lanes of traffic. The southbound approach isn’t much better at over 50 ft wide. These roadways have plenty of space to repurpose as curb extensions or bus lanes. Adding in painted bump outs would be an ideal approach as it would provide the flexibility to adjust for future transit improvements in the near future.

Lodi St to Wolf St

Once you are past Lodi, N Salina St loses much of its historic architecture in favor of auto oriented services, like car washes, convenience stores, and light industrial uses.

A small, well kept green space occupies the block between Danforth St and Court St and offers the only true shade and tree cover in the last half mile of N Salina St. Beyond this neighborhood park, the sidewalks are fairly barren.

Across Court St, you continue past the Pastime Athletic Club, an athletic club that was founded in 1892, one of the longest running organizations in the City of Syracuse. While the organization has a long history, its impact on the streetscape is minimal. Its former front door is no longer in use, instead pushing members to its back parking lot to enter.

One short block away, you stumble upon the first of many, far too many, strip clubs in this part of the Northside, Lookers. While the business is less than desirable, it is an example of something found throughout Syracuse, and throughout the remainder of this walk - homes turned into commercial spaces. Further down N Salina St you come across an abandoned bookstore and music shop that were both housed on the ground floors of their respective homes. In some circles these types of businesses are referred to as “front yard businesses.” When the housing was dense and most people walked for their daily needs, these businesses thrived. Then, in the 1960s, we began making it harder for these types of businesses to develop, and we instead shifted our focus to national retailers in car oriented plazas on the edges of our urban area.

Wolf St (N Salina to Carbon St)

As we approach Wolf St, we re-enter a more historic architectural space, anchored by the Syracuse Antiques Exchange and the former H.A. Moyer carriage factory, which is in the process of being renovated into apartments. Due to the car oriented developments leading up to this intersection, the former warehouses and factories seem to spring out of nowhere. Today, the intersection is filling in, with Cuse Catch occupying a former bank and the gradual redevelopment occurring around it. At the same time, strip clubs and bars also fill the space. But Wolf St has the potential to be a true neighborhood center that other neighborhoods in the City could only dream of, and it is thanks to the historical industrial bones it is built on.

I have written previously about the potential of this area, including promoting the idea of the old industrial buildings being repurposed as a brewery center. Since then, new construction has begun, with several of the older buildings being converted into residential units, including units for individuals with disabilities and a broad range of affordability. Developers aim to fill the ground floor with commercial spaces, which can be an opportunity to not only serve the immediate community but also can become a destination if properly connected well to the nearby Regional Market, NBT Bank Stadium and Destiny USA.

The wide sidewalks lend themselves to pedestrian activity, including sidewalk cafes and outdoor dining, yet some of the remaining industrial uses, namely Roma Tile & Marble, currently use the space to load in and out of their facilities. We should encourage this activity to continue, but it may be worth looking at restricting freight movements to morning hours, freeing up the sidewalks during the busier afternoon and evening hours.

Wolf St (Carbon St to Grant Blvd)

Beyond Carbon St, the sidewalk narrows with dense housing close to the street, setback only a few feet from the sidewalk. Mixed in with the housing is a variety of commercial spaces, primarily convenience stores that use the sidewalk, or really just the space where a sidewalk should go, as pull-in parking. While it is great that these commercial spaces exist, they are often being used in duplicative ways. While the area may not need a full on grocery store with Regional Market only a block away, a plethora of convenience stores make less desirable goods, like alcohol and cigarettes, much easier to access than the healthy food only available two times per week at the market.

Further down Wolf St, a vacant storefront, previously a Dollar Tree, could be a prime location for a neighborhood grocery. But we should look to do more with this space, and all neighborhood grocery stores. We should look to add housing on top of these facilities, ensuring easy access to fresh food, and promoting the ability to get daily needs without a car. As noted in the SMTC’s RTC / Market Area Mobility Study, over 38 percent of households do not currently have access to a car and we should be focusing our efforts on bringing in development that promotes access to those on foot.

While that study does not focus on Wolf St, many of the same observations hold true. The sidewalks are busy by Syracuse standards, with many others on bikes. This is not a car dependent neighborhood, yet we have not built spaces that are comfortable to walk on. Sidewalks are narrow, street trees are rare, and traffic is primarily passing through instead of heading to the neighborhood.

Further north, on the way to the ballpark, sits the former site of the Easy Cafe. Prior to the bar burning down, it was already a missed opportunity. As one of the only bars within easy walking distance of NBT Bank Stadium, it could have been, and should have been, a great place to grab a drink or bite to eat before a game. Instead, it did not open itself up as a welcoming space to many. Part of the reason may be its neighbors. Two small car dealerships and a gas station occupy the other corner locations. Such auto-oriented commercial spaces deaden the space and make it unpleasant to walk as you must navigate between cars parked up to the curb and watch for drivers pulling in and out. Due to these constraints, rebuilding the bar and making it a gameday destination will require an owner to go big. A dream of mine would be to see a wiffle ball bar open up near the ballpark, similar to Rookies in Wisconsin. By making the bar its own destination, it may be able to overcome its difficult neighbors and help bring baseball further into the neighborhood. As I have mentioned many times, baseball is an urban sport, and we should find ways to connect the team into the neighborhood as often as possible.

Into the Ballpark

Building these connections must also include Hiawatha Blvd. While for this trip I took the route down Wolf St, most often I find myself walking down Hiawatha on my way to a game. Hiawatha experiences many of the same issues as Wolf St: narrow sidewalks (where they exist), industrial and auto oriented uses that create conflicts, and a lack of tree coverage.

One highlight of Hiawatha Blvd is the Hiawatha Heights Apartments, which converted an old industrial building into apartments within the last decade. The building helps to bring life to a beautiful old building while offering views of the ballpark. It is an example of what should line this entire corridor, and ideally stretch towards the ballpark itself. In 2012, the Hiawatha - Lodi Brownfield Opportunity Area (BOA) Plan identified a need to develop Hiawatha into a mixture of industrial, commercial, and medium to high density residential to create an active neighborhood on a year-round basis. This includes improving pedestrian facilities and crossings, where currently none exist.

And this goes beyond Hiawatha and into the ballpark grounds.

In 2020, Onondaga County renovated NBT Bank Stadium, including paving the large parking lot that separates the ballpark from its nearest neighbors. I have long advocated that the County should open up this land for redevelopment, which is now even less likely after this round of asphalt investment. While I will continue to advocate for these changes, a short-term improvement that can be made is the installation of pedestrian facilities through the parking lot. Currently, only one painted pedestrian path exists off the N 2nd St entrance. Building out a sidewalk network, mimicking city blocks, would be a step in defining future blocks for development while immediately improving walking access to the ballpark.

While this series is focused on walking and improving access for those of us on foot, I do think it is important to call out the sheer lack of bicycle parking facilities. As a County park that is located in an urban neighborhood, there is no excuse for not providing bike corals and other secure bike parking facilities at multiple locations outside the ballpark. The City of Syracuse recently installed buffered bike lanes that lead directly into the ballpark from Grant Blvd, yet cyclists are left to chain their bikes up to lights in the parking lot or to gates surrounding the stadium. To better improve this accessibility, we need to offer people safe places to store their bikes, much as we provide excessive amounts of storage for cars.

And as you make it across the final asphalt sea, you approach a true beautiful minor league ballpark. For all the faults of the location, and its lack of pedestrian access, the ballpark itself is a true gem for Syracuse. It is time for us to bring the ballpark into the City by bringing the City to it. Encourage fans to walk, bike, or take transit when possible. Give fans places to hang out before and after games that keep them in the neighborhood. And build up the neighborhood around the park and strengthen its connections to the team.

The Walk: To Tipperary Hill

August 14, 2023

Every July, St. Patrick’s Church holds its annual Irish Festival. Filled with music, food, and, of course, Irish beer, the festival is a great place to spend a few hours on a warm summer weekend. Who doesn’t love to hang out and have a few drinks with friends? And yet, many of us choose to drive to get there. During its busiest hours, cars line the neighborhood streets for blocks around the church. Should everyone who just spent a few hours drinking really get behind the wheel to head home? Ubers and Lyfts are options. The bus can be too, if you’re there during service hours.

But why not walk?

From Downtown Syracuse, the walk is just under two miles and nearly a straight line down W Fayette St. So, on a sunny Saturday afternoon, we took a walk.

The Downtown Walk

Fayette St through Downtown Syracuse is typically filled with activity. Bars and restaurants line the street from S Salina St west to West St. Wide sidewalks provide ample space to walk alongside outdoor dining setups. The Downtown Committee hangs flower pots from the pedestrian sized street lighting each summer, bringing color and nature to an urbanized space.

When you walk down the street, the architecture that forms the street wall is built with pedestrian movements in mind. Large windows opening to first floor businesses, with three to four floors of residential or office spaces above, provide visual interest as you walk by. Generally speaking, Downtown streets are fairly narrow with pedestrian signals that line up with the traffic signals, ensuring safe crossings in the busiest pedestrian areas. At W Fayette St and Franklin St, people on foot are given a dedicated crossing time, stopping all cars to make crossing easier and safer.

But the Downtown experience is limited. As I have mentioned in previous pieces, Downtown has been retrofitted for cars over the last several decades, with many parking lots surrounding the more walkable center. As you head westward, buildings fade away and car storage reigns supreme, before you encounter a mini highway that cuts straight through the heart of the City.

Crossing West Street

West St, which forms the western border of Downtown Syracuse, is a six lane roadway with on ramps to I-690 on its northern end. While the road is signed for 35 mph traffic, often cars travel upwards of 45 or 50 mph, speeding through at near highway level speeds. According to a 2015 article from the Post Standard, West St was originally built in the 1960s to form an “inner loop” highway, similar to the one recently filled in over in Rochester, NY. Over 100 buildings were demolished to make way for this overly wide roadway that was never ultimately completed as originally envisioned. So today, we are stuck with a high speed stretch of road that is unpleasant for all users.

In 2019, Wunderbar, one of the few queer bars in Syracuse, opened up in the former Redhouse Theater space. The bar is sandwiched between the north and southbound lanes of West St, placing it at an uncomfortable crossing point that has certainly prevented some bar hoppers from choosing to include it in their nights out.

So what makes this crossing so uncomfortable?

Car speeds are one of the biggest issues. From the south, cars come whipping around a corner under a railroad bridge. From the north, vehicles traveling at even higher speed coming off I-690 come racing up the depressed roadway from under Erie Blvd, trying to make the light, or rushing through shortly after it turns red.

Some of these issues will be addressed in the upcoming I-81 viaduct project. West St will see its connection to I-690 adjusted, bringing cars to a stop at W Genesee St, two blocks north of W Fayette St, helping to slow down vehicles. This adjustment does little to address speedy vehicles from the south. Ultimately, reducing lanes, adding street trees, and narrowing the intersections would help reduce speeds further, but are currently not within the plans.

Due to the existing features, and the lack of future improvements, few people choose to cross this intersection. Due to this lack of pedestrian activity, drivers are often not looking for people outside of vehicles, adding to the unsafe feeling for those who do look to cross.

Once you’re across both legs of West St, vacant lots welcome you before you pass under a railroad bridge. Sidewalks are only available on the southern side of the street, but they are at least decently wide. Panhandlers do frequent this corner. There’s a larger conversation that must be had in terms of homelessness, panhandling, and drug use in our community. This piece is not the space to dig in at this time, but it is important to note that these complex issues impact all aspects of public life. As a primer for a broader conversation, I highly recommend a recent episode of the Ezra Klein Show podcast and a piece in the Atlantic by his guest, Jerusalem Demsas. For now, we continue our walk and consider the physical infrastructure we have in place.

W Fayette Street - West to Geddes

On the other side of the railroad bridge, the experience is a mixed bag. The Near Westside has an industrial legacy and, thanks to the Near Westside Initiative, many of the legacy warehouses and factories have been repurposed for the modern age. WCNY, the local PBS station, moved into the neighborhood over ten years ago. Artisan and light industrial businesses have also moved in. And some housing has been added. This neighborhood continues to experience concentrated poverty, and recently announced housing projects look to improve the quality of housing available, although it does not fully address the need for more mixed-income housing.

When looking at the walking experience, the legacy architecture does help improve the interest level of the walk. Murals grace the face of several buildings, bringing a pop of color and visual interest as you walk. Even then, many of the buildings are currently underused. Some of this is due to a lack of demand, but that could be shifting as new investments come into the region. These older warehouses can easily become mixed-use centers, providing housing and maker spaces for hundreds of residents. The Gear Factory, further down W Fayette St, is a perfect example of this approach.There are also plenty of surface parking lots that we can redevelop into the mixed-use neighborhood scale buildings this neighborhood needs.

While the buildings that line the southern side of the street do help with visual interest, the railyard and parking lot on the northern side of the street deaden the activity. Further west, the Lipe Art Park is an excellent start to bringing life and color to the space. What holds the art park back is a lack of connection to the neighborhood across the street.

Without any stop signs or traffic signals between West St and Geddes St, over 3,000 ft, cars often speed down the corridor, traveling far above the 30 mph posted speed limit. At the same time, the lack of sidewalks on the northern side signals that people are not welcome to cross, even if an artistic destination is located there. While some may be reluctant to slow vehicles down on a key commuting corridor, it is vital to creating a welcoming space for residents. If we see our legacy buildings as opportunities to provide housing for hundreds or thousands, then providing easy access to green spaces and artistic endeavors must be considered part of that. This may require adding traffic control devices in key locations, removing the center turn lane to reconfigure the space to include a shared use path or other infrastructure within the curb line, and slowing vehicles down to at least the posted speed limit, if not lower.

We should also recognize that Erie Blvd W, which runs parallel to W Fayette St, could and should become more of a commuter corridor as the roadway is already overbuilt and underused. Moving commuting traffic to the north may allow W Fayette St to be humanized.

Crossing Geddes Street

Geddes St is the second concerning intersection along this trip. In 2021, the SMTC identified the intersection and corridor as a hotspot for fatal and serious injury crashes. When you make your way through the intersection, you begin to understand why.

As mentioned before, drivers on W Fayette St are often traveling far above the 30 mph speed limit, aiming to make the light before it turns red. Adding to this issue is the fact that most westbound traffic is turning left to head south down Geddes St. Left turns are the most dangerous movement in a vehicle, with many drivers looking for other cars but not looking for people on foot. Add to this the right turn lane for northbound traffic on Geddes St and the fairly wide crossing (roughly 70 ft), the end result is people on foot being exposed to drivers who are not looking for their presence.

In 2020, the SMTC explored the option of reducing the number of travel lanes on Geddes St and repurposing space for a two-way shared-use path. This would help reduce the crossing distance and exposure to vehicles, while also improving access to cyclists. One thing this analysis does not fully take into account is the fact that drivers will find the path of least resistance or opt for new modes of travel. If you make the turns and connections to W Fayette St less ideal, many drivers will opt for new paths, including continuing northward onto Erie Blvd W. Reducing the amount of turns at this intersection would help people on foot by reducing the amount of conflicts they have with cars.

Luckily for us, walking on a Saturday meant lower than average car volumes and only two or three cars waiting to turn as we crossed.

W Fayette Street - Under the Railroad

Once you’ve made it to the other side, you’re greeted by the Gear Factory, a true highlight in how to reuse older, legacy industrial buildings. While the building is seeing new life, the public space outside of it is in need of repair. While the City’s sidewalk program will likely improve the sidewalks in the coming years, the street lighting should be reconfigured to emphasize more human scale movements. Currently, the cobra style streetlights are closer to what you see on a highway instead of on a neighborhood commercial strip. Adding accessory lighting fixtures could help address this concern.

Soon, just to the west of the Gear Factory, the Syracuse Police Department (SPD) is eyeing another underused warehouse for a potential upcoming move. This move would not only help shore up a quickly deteriorating building, but also add activity and people to a block in need of them. Bringing public investment into this neighborhood could be the catalyst for other forms of development. Currently, the building the SPD is considering has a less than trustworthy sidewalk shed protecting people as they walk next to it. Unlike the sidewalk sheds in New York City, the ones used in Syracuse are short, narrow, and dark. They add a feeling of being constrained even while you’re out in public.

These sidewalk sheds act almost as an extension of the dark, constrained feelings you experience when walking under the unused railroad bridges at their western end. While the previous SMTC study recommended adding lighting and signage beneath the bridge, the path is littered with trash and drug paraphernalia, which is likely to continue until the area is more well trafficked on foot. Another option is to remove the bridge entirely, opening up the space. While I would love to see the bridge repurposed for riding bikes and walking, it might make more financial sense to remove it and improve the street and sidewalks in its place.

This section of W Fayette St should be seen as the entrance to Tipperary Hill and Skunk City. Just a couple blocks away, as massive new development is taking shape. The former Syracuse Developmental Center is being redeveloped into roughly 500 housing units and a light industrial complex. We must be thinking of ways to improve these connections and encourage residents to walk and bike down this corridor. Adding light, widening sidewalks, and bringing public safety investments to the area are all good ways to start.

W Fayette St - Up to Tipp Hill

Once you’re under the railroad bridge, you’ve mostly made it to Tipperary Hill, just a few more blocks to get to most of the bars. And those blocks mostly lack quality sidewalks. Where sidewalks do exist, they’re broken up and overgrown. Again, many of these issues will be addressed through the City’s new municipal sidewalk program, but will not be addressed is how we treat these spaces. Often cars block the spaces where people are meant to walk, either in driveways or outside of bars. The presence of a new sidewalk could dissuade some of these drivers from storing their cars here, but that won’t last for long. Part of the issue is that we still promote people driving to bars in the first place, often by providing free car storage.

As you make your way up the hill, you arrive at the newest Tip Hill bar, Emerald Cocktail, which is the first rooftop bar in the City. This bar is built in a much more urban style, with no car storage and large windows that open up onto the street. Its a welcome addition to the area and helps fill a gap along the route, providing one more interesting stop to encourage you to walk between.

While the building and business are a welcome addition, the intersection it sits at is not ideal. The main issue here is a slip lane for westbound traffic to continue up Tompkins St. What is odd about this slip lane, and the way this intersection is set up, is that a small garden and seating area are positioned on the far side, across from the Ukrainian church, where no sidewalk exists. So we have pedestrian amenities placed where people are not encouraged to go. I would propose some changes to this area to make it more people friendly. The first major change is closing off the slip lane. Make cars slow down and perform a full turn at the light. This helps make their movements more predictable and easier for people to cross. Second, fill in that closed off slip lane by extending the garden. Make this a place people actually want to congregate. Encourage people to cross over to the church’s garden, where the Celtic cross stands. Give people a chance to sit outside in the shade as they walk through their neighborhood.

This intersection redesign would also help move people down towards Nibsy’s, but there’s need for improvements on that final block. Currently, N Wilbur Ave, between Tompkins St and Ulster St, is a one-way street heading south. While the street is narrow (around 23 ft), it can be narrowed further. If you remove on-street parking, with most homes having off-street space or the ability to store their car in the open lot down the block, you gain more than enough space to fit a full sidewalk down the block.

Speaking of that open lot, the space needs definition and shade. You would be forgiven if you were unsure where the street begins and the empty lot ends. No sidewalks help distinguish this expanse of asphalt from the street, and no formalized entrance points. While I personally would like to see this space developed into housing, along with the wide open field across W Fayette St, we should first start by defining the space. Add sidewalks and line it with shade trees. Then, in the future as housing demand increases, the space is primed for redevelopment into a higher use. But until that time, providing a shaded path across this open space will help to improve walkability for all.

And, at the end of this lot, we finally reach St. Patrick’s Church.

This trip, right around 2 miles in length, and about 40 minutes, takes you through very different built environments with varying levels of success in terms of accessibility on foot. There’s a lot to work with, in terms of repurposing our legacy buildings, slowing traffic, and adding shade, but there are good bones to work from. One of the keys is realizing that we must design spaces for the uses we desire, not for what is there currently. A prime connective corridor like W Fayette St should be oriented towards people on foot, while Erie Blvd W, where the Erie Canal used to run, was never meant for people. Finding ways to shift car trips to that corridor, and reimagining a neighborhood corridor is a good place to start.