“Make where you are how you want it to be.”

One of my favorite people is Rick Destito, the owner of the building that originally housed the Brown-Lipe Gear Company on the corner of Geddes and W. Fayette. There are few I know in Syracuse who are so relentlessly upbeat and downright visionary about the potential for this city. And he puts his money where his mouth is. He bought a building folks had given up on and is turning it into art studios and work/live space. People who can envision something better, no matter where and on what scale, have a much better chance of bringing it about than those who can do nothing but whine about how terrible things are now and how much better it was back before they were born.

Kate Clark, Rick Destito
Kate is the public arts coordinator for the city.

Rick was recently interviewed by the Syracuse New Times and had this to say:

“I left the area to go look for that perfect area,” Destito said, “and then after three years I realized I actually like it here and I like the area and it’s more gratifying to make where you are how you want it to be instead of looking for it somewhere else.”

Rick envisions an entire district for creative endeavors stretching from Syracuse University’s The Warehouse to his building a few blocks away. If you want to see what is going to be here, take a look at his website, Vibrant Syracuse Spaces. It’s already happening.

In fact, much is already happening under the surface right here in Eastwood. There is a newly-formed Chamber of Commerce. There are plans brewing to fill empty shop spaces. And as we already know, there’s excellent coffee brewing at both ends of the James Street business district and some great food in the middle. Sunnycrest Park was attracting over 200 people per weekend over the winter, and it offers even more to do in the summer. There are folks working on everything from planters to festivals to public art.

Do you have ideas about what you’d like to see in Eastwood? Want to be involved in the already-occurring renewal of Eastwood? Drop me a line or join the Walkable Eastwood email group. There are fun things to be doing and creating all over the neighborhood. What do you want to see in Eastwood?