Help Bring Back the Sparkle and Cheer

The Post-Standard’s Sean Kirst has generated significant discussion on his blog since posting a photo of Salina Street — Syracuse’s “Main Street” — filled with trash and absent any people.

(Courtesy Barbara Thomson) THEN: Crowds cross Fayette Street with Christmas decorations crossing Salina Street, 1952.

(By Dennis Nett / The Post-Standard) NOW: Saturday, Dec. 5, at 1 p.m.

Today, Sean followed up with another post examining some of the reactions to the photo and sharing more of his ample insight into Downtown’s trials and triumphs.
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The striking thing about the photo to my eyes is not the trash, but the utter lack of people, mid-day on a Saturday during what should be the holiday shopping crush.

CNYSpeaks participants made it clear that what they want more than anything Downtown is vibrancy. They want open businesses occupying now-vacant storefronts. They want office workers and apartment dwellers in the spaces above those storefronts. They want people walking the streets, taking in the scene, checking out the shops, ducking into restaurants for something hot to eat.

In short, they want Downtown to resemble what they remember from the city’s heyday in the 1950s.

The holidays in Syracuse always make Central New Yorkers long for a vibrant Downtown. For one, it reminds us of the way Downtown used to be when it was truly the center of the region’s cultural and economic life. (Here’s a slideshow of images from Downtown Syracuse during Christmases past.)

It also reminds us that, no matter how much Downtown has fallen or how suburbanized we have become, that there is no substitute for Downtown, as evidenced by the amazing turnout of people and cheer that accompanies each year’s tree light-lighting ceremony. (See how many people packed Clinton Square this year.)

What better time of year is there, then, to do something that supports the revitalization of Downtown Syracuse? Read the plan for Downtown that was generated by the citizen participants of CNYSpeaks, and then endorse it to show your support, or help us make it better by commenting on our new discussion board.

Happy holidays from CNYSpeaks!