I-81 Community Grid Sparks Cultural Revival in Downtown Syracuse through CNY Jazz
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — As Syracuse prepares to replace the aging I-81 viaduct with a street-level community grid, local arts organizations like CNY Jazz are planning for what's coming next, and how they can help shape the city's new downtown identity.
According to the Community Grid Vision Plan on syr.gov, city officials say the $2 billion community grid project will reconnect neighborhoods once divided by the highway, while arts leaders see a chance to reimagine how culture can revitalize downtown life. CNY Jazz Executive Director Larry Luttinger said the organization is already exploring new ways to bring performances, education programs, and community events into the areas surrounding the new grid.
“We’re looking forward to being a cultural hub, because we are an arts organization that is in the Downtown East Business Association district,” said Luttinger. “We want to go into low census track neighborhoods with high poverty levels and provide culture and services in terms of public health information and awareness.”
According to the I-81 Viaduct Project on ny.gov, the I-81 project’s arts component is specifically leveraging jazz music’s presence in Syracuse. The city has a vibrant local jazz scene, with groups like the Longwood Jazz Project and regular performances at venues including CNY Jazz Central.
“When this neighborhood goes up, we’ll be listening and we’ll be responding in kind,” said Luttinger. “We hope that it will create an influx for us, and that we can become a part of the fabric and the vibe of the new, shiny, gleaming east side of Syracuse.”
Jazz musician and City of Syracuse I-81 Project Director Joe Driscoll said he hopes the I-81 Project will elevate Syracuse from an “in-between city” to a “major U.S. city” that's recognized nationally for its art, culture, and vibrancy.
“You can superficially, as infrastructure, take down the viaduct,” said Driscoll. “But it’s going to take culture, and those bonds being built to actually make it feel like a community and a village.”
CNY Jazz Central has hosted programs and performed across Central New York for nearly 30 years. With the office located in an area that will soon become the new “Downtown East” neighborhood, the organization will be strategically positioned to serve this reconnected community once the viaduct comes down.
“People are drawn to cities because of the culture in the cities,” said Luttinger. “And Syracuse has a cultural hub that encompasses all of downtown and beyond.”
Driscoll said organizations like CNY Jazz play a huge role in performing live music not only in Downtown Syracuse but also putting on programs in various neighborhoods on the south side of Syracuse.
“I think that’s what we need more than anything else as we try to reinvent this city and rebrand the city, reimagine it,” said Driscoll. “I think jazz and live music has a huge role to play.”
Beyond planning for new venues and programs in Downtown Syracuse, Luttinger said his focus on the city's transformation reaching everyone and being accessible to everyone.
“We put special focus on underserved neighborhoods, underserved populations of all kinds, and all underserved and endangered youth,” said Luttinger.
With construction on the community grid not expected to be completed until end of the decade, leaders in the Syracuse arts community are prepared to Syracuse rediscover its rhythm: One performance, one program, and one neighborhood at a time.
