The first large-scale public works project in America, the Erie Canal became one of the most pivotal pieces of infrastructure in the nation’s history, thanks in part to the engineering marvel of its locks. The Canal inspired other great inventions like the grain silos in Buffalo, but it also further segregated cities like Syracuse.
Story by Nate Harrington
The cycle of infrastructure injustices in Syracuse could be ended if the teardown of I-81 is done right.
Story by Kiran Hubbard
Even 200 years later, these gravity-powered elevators still shape New York’s waterways and communities.
Story by Nate Harrington
As the Canal’s usefulness wanned, a businessman proposed a radical project to return the Canal corridor to prominence.
Story by Jesús Feliciano-Batista
From Gothic banks to Romanesque halls, Syracuse’s historic architecture reflects its canal-driven prosperity.
Story by Brycen Pace
Will Buffalo tear down their grain elevators, or preserve the invention that made the city a superpowered port?
