As renovations to the Syracuse Stage near completion, more revitalization and restoration projects are on the way for the city of Syracuse.

Improvements in front of the building are not finished, but include structural and interactive elements that have not been done anywhere else in the city. The venue is just one of many projects being executed around Syracuse to make it more attractive to students, locals and visitors in the area.

The renovations to Syracuse Stage include glowing mesh gates, pressure-sensitive tiles and a seating area to create an outdoor performance area. The eight gates, though barely lit now, will brighten as more people interact with them. The tiles make noise when they are stepped on with the right amount of pressure.

The renovations are a collaboration of the Stage and a division of Syracuse University’s School of Architecture called UPSTATE, which does various design advocacy in the city and beyond, said Joe Sisko, the assistant director.

‘The Stage additions were just an exercise in being playful, getting people to use the spaces that are on the Corridor, especially,’ he said. ‘We’re trying to come up with technologically innovative ways to encourage people to use public space.’

Jeffrey Woodward, managing director of the Syracuse Stage, said the outside plaza is a welcomed addition.

‘Not only does it replace an old and very decaying plaza, but it has sparked curiosity, play and just plain fun among the variety of people in neighborhood including students, theater-goers, faculty and staff, and people walking by,’ he said in an email.

The funding for the renovations came from the Connective Corridor office as a part of a bigger project to rejuvenate the city, said Linda Hartsock, director of community engagement and economic development at SU and director of the Connective Corridor.

The Syracuse Stage project, she said, is one ‘show piece’ of many along the Connective Corridor route that weaves through the streets of Syracuse.

The vision will bring cutting edge urban developments through art, culture, technology and community, she said. The project exemplifies Chancellor Nancy Cantor’s Scholarship in Action program because of its partnership between the SU community and the city.

‘It’s just a great example of the vision that we had for ways in which we can bring Syracuse University talent and resources … to create a vital creative community,’ she said.

Sisko said UPSTATE has been working directly with Syracuse Stage to come up with the concept and design of the renovations, but various technological setbacks have prevented them from meeting their October 2011 deadline. The new date of completion is set for mid-April.

Hartsock said delays in construction are common because the contract approval process takes a long time to be circulated around state funding agencies. Otherwise, she said, there have been no major obstacles within the program.

The warm weather has even quickened construction activity, she said.

Most of the projects are within phase one of the Connective Corridor initiative and should be completed this year, according to a projected timeline. Phases two and three consist of further streetscape improvements set to be complete within the next two years.

Construction has already begun on the streetscape improvement program, which started on University Avenue, and will hopefully be completed by the summer, Hartsock said. The improvements will include granite curves and bike lanes.

Connective Corridor is also implementing a Faade Improvement Program, in which 41 buildings in the area received grants to improve their storefront to be more appealing to passers-by.

Other upcoming projects include a program to help new students and visitors find their way around the city using informative signs, a large public art project that connects about 35 art venues to the SU community and the introduction of a workshop and lecture series.

The use of green infrastructure, streetscape improvement and new pedestrian walkways are also part of the Connective Corridor project. Syracuse is one of the first cities in the country to use green infrastructure in city projects, Hartsock said.

It is hoped these initiatives will bring more SU students downtown, she said. But the ones who have already seen the changes are ‘blown away.’

Hartsock said the Connective Corridor has engaged businesses and community venues in creating new projects around the city. She also said the project has provided Syracuse with resources that it would otherwise not have had to take on larger design projects.

Said Hartsock: ‘And for Syracuse University, it’s something that really positions Syracuse as a leader in terms of civic engagement among other colleges and universities in the country.’

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Published on March 28, 2012 at 12:00 pm

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