The Community Folk Art Center (CFAC), located at 805 E. Genesee Street, recently received a signature facelift as part of the Connective Corridor’s Façade Improvement Program (FIP). CFAC is the first building on the Corridor to showcase new signage branding the district.

“We immediately agreed to serve as a demonstration site for the façade program,” says Kheli Willetts, CFAC’s executive director. “This is an incredible opportunity to connect with the Corridor and highlight our organization – our goals are perfectly in sync.”

The Community Folk Art Center is the first façade to display components of the Connective Corridor’s identity, specifically the Ohm typeface and one of the red colors selected for the route, explains Robbi Farschman, director of Community Engagement and Economic Development at Syracuse University. “The idea is that folks will start to see pops of red, the Ohm font, creative implementation of ‘USE,’ and be compelled to travel forward and explore the Corridor and the city’s wonderful art and cultural offerings.”

For Willetts and CFAC, the project couldn’t have come at a better time. “We’re especially excited about the timing of the façade improvements, as they coincide with the organization’s 40th anniversary next year,” she shares.

Eligible residents, businesses and organizations can apply for up to $25,000 in capital improvement funding, which can include projects such as upgrading windows, lighting, landscaping, painting, creative signage, outdoor furnishings and other items. To qualify, applicants must implement at least one of the three design elements: the “USE” identity (signifying the last three letters in “SyracUSE”), red color scheme or Ohm font.

The Onondaga Historical Association, the first applicant to receive FIP funding, used $25,000 to help restore windows that had been bricked up for years. Additional façade improvements will soon be made at the Delavan Art Gallery, located at 501 W. Fayette St., as branding projects continue marking the route.

The program, which launched earlier this year, has experienced a great deal of success with more than 60 percent of the available funds conditionally approved for projects. “Property owners along the Corridor have expressed an incredible amount of interest in the program,” says Michael Short, FIP project manager. “Any opportunity to assist local property and business owners while engaging them in this transformative project is a victory for the entire community.”

Any property located directly on the Corridor is eligible for funding, including residential and commercial properties and for-profit and non-profit organizations. Design criteria and application information can be found here.

For more information, contact Michael Short at (315) 443-5402 or mwshort@syr.edu.