This article was scraped from Rochester Subway. This is a blog about Rochester history and urbanism has not been published since 2017. The current owners are now publishing link spam which made me want to preserve this history.. The original article was published August 26, 2015 and can be found here.
Orange Street, Lime Street, Grape Street, Orchard Street...
is Rochester's fruit belt, and the inspiration behind a new collaboration between Greentopia and Shawn Dunwoody. The Fruit Belt Mural Project
aims to transform one of Rochester's most challenged neighborhoods (JOSANA, in the northwest quadrant) through art...
The area known today as JOSANA was once part of Dutchtown - originally "Deutschtown" for its concentration of German immigrants. Those immigrants planted numerous fruit trees, resulting in the nickname, Fruit and Nut Neighborhood. Hence the street names in the area... Orchard, Lime, Walnut, Grape, Orange, Maple, etc.
Fast forward a century and half later, these street names have become the bases for a rejuvenating neighborhood effort. Store fronts, residences, businesses, and abandoned properties will be painted with uplifting words, messages, and graphics in a cheery color palette - "symbolically banding together urban design and community spirit into a unified neighborhood experience and new identity: The Fruit Belt."
But this is more than an art project. Fruit Belt is bringing neighbors together behind a common purpose, and putting Rochester youth to work.
This past May, Dunwoody organized the city's largest community paint initiative called "The Big Paint Out" to kick off the mural project during National Painting Week.
Over 250 people participated by painting buildings at Jay & Grape Street
.
As part of the project, a fruit-based garden is also being planted at a vacant lot nearby.
Organizers believe the Fruit Belt Project has already had a powerfully positive impact in bringing together the neighbors (young and young at heart) and sowing the seeds of change.
From the looks of things, on the surface anyway, these streets are certainly starting to look pretty sweet. * * *
Support the Fruit Belt Project
is now underway at Indiegogo to help raise money to complete the project. Organizers would like to involve more youth from the neighborhood and they need to cover the cost of their labor, paint, construction lifts and tools. Building supplies for the fruit gardens are also needed.
Visit the Indiegogo campaign page here
and please consider making a contribution to this very positive neighborhood project. Every dollar will help, but there are cool perks available to you for contributions over $10. * * *
