45 Small City Anchor Institutions • Feature • Myers Homes underwent a rapid demographic shift. Although the development was predominantly white in 1955, by 1960 it had become largely Black as housing practices restricted where Black residents could live, rent, and find mortgages. At the same time, management and services declined. A large-scale infrastructure project disrupted the neighborhood. The construction of the Interstate 81 corridor cut directly through Pioneer Homes, leading to the demolition of several buildings through eminent domain and further destabilizing the community. As these changes unfolded, maintenance standards and amenities at Pioneer Homes declined. What had once been framed as a model of progressive, “scientifically” planned housing began to deteriorate, both physically and institutionally. This decline contributed to increased tenant organizing, as residents pushed back against neglect and unequal treatment. “In October 1964, an incident in Pioneer Homes’ Dablon Court saw sewers overflow onto streets and sidewalks. Instead of completing repairs and cleanup, Authority workers unclogged the sewers but told residents to clean the rest themselves, reportedly saying, ‘you’ll have to clean this mess yourselves… If you people didn’t stop up the toilets with diapers, this wouldn’t happen.’ This tenant organizing led to an SHA tenant advocacy report, where residents brought their demands and “grievances to the attention of the Syracuse Housing –Jess Myers Moving forward requires addressing those unanswered demands. Otherwise, there’s not really a possibility for success, because you don’t have any mutual stakes.
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