The University Neighborhood is one of

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffa ...

's 26 officially recognized neighborhoods. It borders the neighborhoods of Westcott to the north, University Hill to the west, Outer Comstock to the southwest, Skytop (South Campus) to the south, and Meadowbrook to the east. The University Neighborhood is mostly residential, with only a few

convenience store A convenience store, convenience shop, corner store or corner shop is a small retail business that stocks a range of everyday items such as coffee, groceries, snack foods, confectionery, soft drinks, ice creams, tobacco products, lottery ticket ...

s located throughout. The neighborhood is close to retail and dining, however, with Westcott Street being lined with small shops and restaurants immediately to the north, and the Nottingham Plaza across East Colvin Street at its southeastern corner. This plaza has a grocery store, Eckerd drug store, liquor store, barber shop, as well as a UPS Store behind it. Additionally, Marshall Street, the main retail area of adjacent University Hill is within a short walk of the northwestern corner of the neighborhood. The neighborhood is also home to the city's only cooperative grocery store, the Syracuse Real Food Co-op.

History

Like its surrounding neighborhoods, the University Neighborhood grew as a result of the growth of Syracuse University, which was founded in 1870. Electric streetcars ran along Euclid Avenue, its northern border. As the university continued to grow, particularly after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, students moved into many of the houses along Euclid Avenue and its side streets. When the university went through a short period of enrollment decline in the early 1990s, it enacted a

sophomore In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. In ...

residency requirement, which required second-year students to live in university housing. Previously only freshmen were required to do so. As a result, some University Neighborbood buildings were acquired by non-students . It also includes the Berkeley Park Historic District. The

Berkeley Park Subdivision Historic District Berkeley Park Subdivision Historic District is a residential subdivision in Syracuse, New York. It was designed in 1911 by Clarence Congdon. It is significant as "an outstanding and highly intact representation of early-twentieth century lands ...

Spencer House Spencer House may refer to: * Spencer House, Westminster, Greater London, England United States

* Spencer House (Hartford, Connecticut), listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in Hartford County * Spencer House in Columbus, ...

, Ward House, and Welsh House are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

Conflicts

Today the neighborhood consists of a mixture of families and students. This unusual combination results in vibrant diversity, but is also sometimes a cause of conflict due to differing priorities of the two groups. Though conflict is usually limited to noise complaints from late-night student parties, an extreme example occurred on May 1, 1999, when students hosted a block party on Livingston Avenue. Violence broke out when police arrived to end the party, causing the event to be named the Livingstock Riots. Police used

riot gear Riot control measures are used by law enforcement, military, paramilitary or security forces to control, disperse, and arrest people who are involved in a riot, unlawful demonstration or unlawful protest. If a riot is spontaneous and irration ...

to break up the block party, which had spun out of control, leaving piles of furniture and debris burning in the streets. Subsequent block parties (resuming in 2007) have not featured violence.

References

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External links

University Neighborhood Preservation Association (UNPA)

Southeast University Neighborhood Association (SEUNA)

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