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Syracuse University students, professors and community leaders gathered Wednesday afternoon to discuss the history of the city of Syracuse’s 15th Ward and SU Architecture students proposed methods of reconstruction for Almond Street.

Third-year students from SU’s School of Architecture worked over the fall semester to learn about Interstate-81 and its destructive effects on the once-thriving predominantly Black neighborhood. Students constructed a model of the street and developed designs for buildings in the area following the viaduct’s removal.

Wednesday’s gathering served as a forum for the students to hear the perspectives of local exports and city officials regarding rebuilding the street post-construction.

The 15th Ward was a prosperous and predominantly Black neighborhood before the area was razed by I-81’s construction in 1959. The construction displaced over 1,300 families, according to the New York Civil Liberties Union.

The city recently began construction to remove the I-81 viaduct with the intention of reconciling decades of political conflict, racism and displacement for the ward’s residents, said Elizabeth Kamell, an SU architecture professor and one of the project’s faculty advisors.

After learning about the neighborhood’s history, groups of about 15 students collaborated to re-work individual sectors of Almond Street. Each group’s projects were joined to create a proposed model of what the entire street’s updated architectural layout could look like once construction is completed near the end of 2028.

When the viaduct was built, the city didn’t consider the people who would suffer, isolating many of the community’s residents, Syracuse Bishop Bernard Alex said. He encouraged the student architects to go out into the community, do hands-on work and engage in tough conversations to reconnect with the affected people and have intentionality behind each redesigned structure.

“If you are not from Syracuse or don’t have roots in Syracuse and people to tell you the story, it was traumatic. When I say traumatic – your grocery store is gone, your place of worship is gone – at a moment’s notice,” Alex said.

Alex, one of the community leaders invited to participate in the discussion, emphasized the importance of acknowledging Almond Street’s cultural and historical significance. His father moved to Syracuse when he was young, witnessing first-hand the impact that the highway project’s construction had on the community and Almond Street’s residents.

Solange Jain | Photo Editor

After learning about the neighborhood’s history, groups of about 15 students collaborated to re-work individual sectors of Almond Street. Every group’s section was then combined to create an accurate model of the street and surrounding areas.

Syracuse Deputy Mayor and SU alumna Sharon Owens said her husband’s family lived in the 15th Ward and was one of the first Black families to move out as a result of the viaduct and into Westcott, a predominantly white neighborhood. She said although she isn’t from the affected community, she feels the impact.

“It’s important to know the history there, and it’s also important to know how that history affects the people who live along this border… and what the potential for this corridor is with the neighbors of that community,” Owens, who recently announced her bid for Syracuse’s next mayor, said.

Ankur Moolky, one of the students who worked on the project, said it was important not to erase history. He proposed to keep fragments of the viaduct and repurpose them as modern green spaces for public congregation.

Before concluding, Owens shared a final thought with the students and attendees at the event.

“The best thing that happened to me as an SU student was when I got an internship off of this hill … and I began to learn who the people of Syracuse were,” Owens said. “Design buildings, design parks, design roads and design sidewalks. It’s not about the space, it’s about the people using the space.”

Published on December 12, 2024 at 12:48 am

Contact Arabella: akklonow@syr.edu