Project Description

Paradise Found is a place-based project that focuses on the characteristics that give neighborhoods, communities and cities a sense of place. Khanh Le and Frank Olive have been walking, driving, taking photographs, and thinking about what defines the city of Syracuse as a place. They will produce a series of fifteen postcards that depict the people, sites, buildings, names, signs, advertisements, and businesses that make up the city’s identity. The postcards will be produced in large quantities and will be available for purchase at participating local venues. The project will then be open for local area residents in Syracuse and in other cities, nationally and internationally, to create images that represent important places, people and things that define their city to them. A selection of these images will be produced as postcards and also made available for purchase.

Fuccillo Bus Advertisement

Billy Fuccillo, who operates from a base in Adams, N.Y., north of Syracuse, has spent unprecedented amounts of money on advertising that features himself on bus wraparounds and a flood of TV commercials to make himself and his business known. The tag line in his ads, which he disclosed last year cost him $2 million in 2003, is the word "Huge!"

Armory Square and Starbucks

Originally settled in 1804, the Armory Square district began to take its current shape in the mid-19th Century. The area's proximity to the Erie Canal and major rail lines made it an ideal location for industrial operations. Most of the neighborhood's historic buildings were constructed between 1860 and 1890 as factories or warehouses.

Destiny USA Advertisement at Carousel Mall

Destiny, USA is a proposed retail and entertainment complex. The project's developer, The Pyramid Companies, predicts that Destiny USA will become a major tourist destination and will have an economic impact throughout the Central New York region. The project is planned to be a green building, powered entirely by renewable resources, and is planned to be completed in three phases.

Parking Lot on S. Franklin Street

Over 90% of downtown workers use a car, either alone or in a carpool, to travel to and from work. 50% parked in a garage, 40% in a surface lot and 4% on the street. The most important factors in choosing parking are proximity and price. 60% of workers walk less then 5 minutes from their vehicle to work place and more than 60% of workers feel safe in their parking facility and on their walk to work.

Street Sign in Little Italy
























Little Italy contains several bakeries, cafés, pizzerias, restaurants, beauty salons, shops, bars and nightclubs. Its main street is North Salina Street. The north side of Syracuse has always had a great deal of residents with Italian heritage, and this neighborhood has been called Little Italy for a while. However, in 2003, the city officially designated it as such and the area was renovated.

Interstate 81 and Interstate 690

Interstate 690 is the major east-west corridor within the city of Syracuse. It connects the eastern and western suburbs with Syracuse. The freeway continues northwest as New York 690 north of Interstate 90. Interstate 690 is also one of the few Interstates with a traffic light, but this light is only in operation for a relatively short duration during the Great New York State Fair.

Crow Roost above Hutchings Psychiatric Center
























Driven from other cities in upstate New York, an increasing number of harried crows have found a new home in downtown Syracuse and its surrounding neighborhoods, where buildings provide warmth and lights offer protection from predators.

Sol Lewitt Sculpture at the James M. Hanley Federal Building

Sol LeWitt created the sculpture One, Two, Three as a commission for the General Services Administration. In 1962 a government committee determined that fine art should be incorporated in the designs of new federal buildings, to enrich the surrounding communities. This initiative became the Art-in-Architecture Program, and LeWitt was chosen to design a sculpture for the plaza of the James M. Hanley Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse.

Onondaga Nation Billboard

A controversial billboard off the northbound side of Route 81 catches drivers' eyes. The billboard is on Onondaga Nation Territory and it says "Onondaga Nation: where traitors, rapists, murders and non-Onondagas rule, protected by wanna-be Governor Eliot Spitzer, New York State Police, Onondaga County Sheriff."

Scrap Yard behind New York State Fairgrounds


































Matlow Company Inc. specializes ferrous and non ferrous scrap metal recycling and container services.

Over the past several years, the New York State Fair has entertained nearly one million fairgoers with agricultural exhibits, thrilling rides, cultural villages, a star-studded concert lineup, culinary treats and much, much more.

Soccer Game at Frazer Park

Frazer Park is located adjacent to Frazer Public School and has a softball diamond, swimming pool, and playground. Frazer Playground has the distinction of being the first playground established in Syracuse, created under the administration of Mayor Edward Schoenick.

Syracuse Auto Dynamics on S. West Street

Syracuse Auto Dynamics and Accessories has been serving the Syracuse area for over 27 years. There is no job too small or too big, as they often service customers from New York, Boston and the surrounding Eastern states.

Pastime Athletic Club Sign

The Pastime Athletic Club is a private, not for profit men's club located on North Salina Street. The club provides social and athletic opportunities for members and their families. Membership is by application and is open to men at least 18 years old. Applicants must be sponsored by 2 current members. Applications are reviewed by the Board of Directors. Current membership is approximately 900. The club is the 3rd oldest private men's club in the United States.

Sam's Club on Erie Blvd

Like other warehouse clubs, most merchandise sold at Sam's Club is sold in bulk and directly off pallets. Clubs are arranged much like a warehouse, with merchandise stocked in warehouse-style steel bins. There are currently over 580 Sam's Clubs in the United States. Products sold include jewelry, designer goods, sunglasses, crystal and collectibles, electronics, floral, apparel, food and meats. Most locations have Pharmacy, Tire and Battery, Photo, Bakery, Optical, Café and Floral departments.

Men's Bathroom at Regional Transport Center
























The William F. Walsh Regional Transportation Center (RTC) is Central New York’s one-stop transportation center providing service to other cities. The RTC is home to train & bus services provided by Amtrak, Greyhound and Trailways. All are under one roof and the RTC provides customers a safe, clean & friendly environment while they travel.

'Made In Syracuse' Sign

The dental chair was invented by Syracuse’s Milton Waldo Hanchett in 1840. * Syracusan Charles F. Brannock invented the measuring device that tells the shoe salesman, what your size is. * At the turn of the century 90% of the nations garment pressing machines were manufactured here in Syracuse. * Crouse Hinds manufactured the country’s first traffic light installed in Texas in 1921. * 27 antennae located on the moon were made in Syracuse by Sims.