About Us

The 15th Ward

In some ways the story of the 15th Ward is uniquely Syracuse. The Ward lay at the very heart of the city, at the intersection between downtown and the University and between the city's many ethnic neighboroods and communities. Those who recall the Ward usually do it with fondness for a more innocent time and a more closely knit sense of community. In other ways, the story of the Ward is also typical of the American story. Syracuse was not alone in having such a multicultural working class neighborhood near its center.

Of course, just as the stories of the Ward are both particular and typical, so too is the story of its destruction. Urban renewal promised many things - affordable housing, new businesses, and better infrastructure - but in Syracuse as with many other areas what it brought was devastation and fragmentation. The SU Public Memory Project has been working over the past two years to revisit the Ward, to collect memories of this community and to bring attention to this chapter in Syracuse's history. We have worked with many community groups and individuals and we have labored under the guiding assumption that the past cannot be left behind but lingers with us. Our hope is to continue to work together to fashion forums in which these memories may be given voice and our experiences of the past can become a platform for seeing into a new future.

Kendall R. Phillips, Ph.D.

Chair and Associate Professor

Department of Communication and Rhetorical Studies

Syracuse University

Credits and acknowledgements: