Join us and get familiar with an Eastwood hidden gem - the stone steps, walls, and pathways at the northern end of Sunnycrest Park. Volunteers will help uncover overgrown brick pathways, pull weeds and spread mulch, pick up litter, trim back overgrowth, and more. We’ll be focused on the area outlined in red in the image below, especially the Mariani Garden where Clifton runs into the park. Meet us at the Mariani Garden to get your supplies and instructions.
Consider bringing work gloves and tools, but we will also have hand tools to borrow.
Cider and donuts provided provided by SCSD Board of Education Commissioner Dan Romeo.
Learn more about the history of Sunnycrest Park here. We'll be focused on the northern end of the park, which retains many New Deal-era features. From the linked report:
"Sunnycrest Park is also significant for the design work that proliferated during the Great Depression. Following the stock market crash in 1929 and the unfortunate consequences of the Dust Bowl, there was a reliance on the federal government to provide relief work for citizens. Under Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal policies, many improvements were made to the recreational and housing opportunities of the nation and a strong emphasis placed on natural resource protection and conservation. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) were two important groups that provided work for citizens and also improved communities. Landscape architects made significant contributions to the design changes occurring in the National Parks and other public sectors. As parks and recreational spaces became accepted as typical amenities in the urban environment, landscape architects likewise played a vital role at the local and urban scales. The New Deal-era remains evident in the landscape of Syracuse today. In response to the high unemployment rates, the city government quickly embraced work projects to relieve it. These work projects were completed using funds provided by the State Temporary Emergency Relief Administration and the federal government. Through the work of either the Syracuse Onondaga County Consolidated Work Bureau (SOCCWB) or the Works Progress Administration (WPA), a series of stonework in the forms of stairs, retaining wall, and pathways were built into the Sunnycrest Park landscape along the northern border between 1932 and 1935.21 In total, there are 10 staircases, 1 stone entrance gate, 1 stone retaining wall (noncontiguous due to stairways), 2 significant brick walkways, and 1 stone and brick French drain. These historic features are significant to the character and identity of the park. Their craftsmanship and materiality enhance the adjacent streets and the park experience."
Brick pathways surrounding the Mariani Peace Garden back in 2015. Looking north up Clifton Place.