UPDATED: Feb. 8, 2016 at 10:39 p.m.

Ten years ago, the Nancy Cantor Warehouse was occupied by Syracuse University with the intent of building a bridge between the university and the Syracuse community.

Some members of the SU community say that since it was first occupied on Jan. 17, 2006, The Warehouse has at least partially fulfilled former Chancellor Nancy Cantor’s goal for it to be that bridge, citing visible growth in the city as evidence.

Others, though, say issues with the building tarnish the student experience.

In 2006, School of Architecture students were the first to take classes in the building — which was bought and renovated in 2005 — while Slocum Hall was being renovated. In 2009, the College of Visual and Performing Arts’ School of Design moved in permanently. It is currently the only academic department in The Warehouse.

SU’s Office of Community Engagement and Economic Development (CEED) moved in The Warehouse in 2008 to better fulfill its mission, said Marilyn Higgins, vice president of Syracuse University’s Office of Community Engagement and Economic Development.

As CEED vice president, Higgins said she is responsible for the Connective Corridor and the Near Westside Initiative.

What was previously an empty space became a hotspot for community activity and student engagement. Higgins said many officials from other colleges and cities came to CEED’s office at The Warehouse to see how it were running its operations.

On a larger scale, Higgins, a Syracuse local and former vice president of economic development at National Grid, said she knew The Warehouse would spark economic development. Once SU invested in the area, other companies followed suit, she said.

“All of this really changed the physical and economic complexion of the city,” Higgins said. “And it still does today.”

The presence of the university has had direct impact on the area as well. Students from across campus have come to do work through CEED — engaging in major projects such as the Near Westside Initiative — and have changed the momentum of the neighborhood, Higgins said.

Students have worked together to create magazines in the neighborhood, some have started public health initiatives and others have created Little Free Libraries, where youth can borrow books for free. Working in The Warehouse has put Higgins’ office in direct contact with these students, she said.

The design students who learn in The Warehouse have also prospered, said Zeke Leonard, an assistant professor of environmental and interior design at SU. Leonard became a professor during the semester that the School of Design moved into The Warehouse.

Before the move to The Warehouse, the design students were spread out across campus and now they’re in a centralized location that gives them the studio space they need, Leonard said.

This has fostered both informal and curricular collaboration among the numerous design programs, Leonard said. One particular interior design student he recalled had been interested in yoga, so she worked with the fashion design program to develop clothing that used elastic to improve posture.

Victoria Fennessy, a senior environmental and interior design major, said she also likes the “separate” environment and being among other designers. She added that she likes going out to local restaurants in the city.

Leonard said he has also seen the building keep students more in touch with the city, as Cantor’s vision had aimed for. Although Leonard doesn’t teach students who study only on main campus, he said his students are more in touch with the people they are learning to design for.

The design students take on local clients as part of their studies. In spring 2011, “CMD 352: Design Project Management” partnered with the Near Westside Initiative. The communications design class created a complete promotional campaign for the nonprofit that would bring more color and a stronger identity to the project and the neighborhood.

More students across campus should be engaged in work through The Warehouse and the community at large, Leonard said. He suggested enlightening more students about their position of privilege as college students as a way to motivate engagement.

Some think the bridge may be unnecessarily wide though.

James Fathers, the director of the School of Design, said he agreed that putting all the design programs in one building helped students and teachers collaborate more. But, he said, a lack of resources at The Warehouse had a significant effect on the student experience.

When the School of Architecture occupied the building, the bus schedule matched its class times, there was a library operated by the university and a bookstore for students to buy supplies. Now, The Warehouse has none of these resources, Fathers said, which makes it extremely hard to be self-sufficient.

When Fennessy, the SU student, lived on South Campus, the commute to class at The Warehouse could be 45 minutes long, she said. She added that scheduling classes on Main Campus can be difficult because design students have to work around class times and the commute.

In March 2014, the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, which accredits art and design programs, reviewed the School of Design. The association raised the same issues, Fathers said.

Currently, the university administration is reviewing structural issues through the Campus Master Plan.

“I just want students to have a fantastic experience,” Fathers said. “But is our 550 students’ experiences on par with other student experiences?”

Published on February 7, 2016 at 11:43 pm

Contact Delaney: dovanwey@syr.edu