On a Tuesday this fall, artist Sydney Schultz arrived at the base of the Thornden Park water tower and found a hawk perched on one of her willow sculptures, syracuse.com reported on October 9. The sculpture is one of two woven "boulders" in "The Paths We Weave," a labyrinth mowed into a hillside meadow. Up the hill, a yellow construction crane swings over Syracuse University's newest residence hall.
Taken together, that scene shows how Thornden is changing in 2026. The park's two new walking routes this year, the labyrinth and the Thornden Park Association's new loop trail, were made with mowers, willow and mulch. Nothing was paved. Each one lasts only as long as someone keeps tending it. Late October, with the meadow still standing and the first snow not far off, is when that's easiest to see.
A Path That Exists Because Someone Keeps Mowing It
Laura Reeder calls herself a walking artist. She didn't build the labyrinth so much as let it grow and then cut it out. According to syracuse.com's account, she worked with the Syracuse Department of Parks, Recreation and Youth Programs to pick a spot and rope it off. In early summer the meadow was left alone for several weeks, and tall grass, chicory, asters and small white flowers filled in.
Schultz chose where her boulders would sit. Reeder then cut a rough, winding route around them with a grass whip. She held off on precise tools until she knew where the path should go, and she let the grass grow longer before switching to a mower. The finished path is wide enough for two people to walk side by side. Reeder mowed it regularly and told the paper that was hard work on a slope.
The hill shaped the design. Both artists drew on Central New York's drumlins and on the myth of Sisyphus, who was condemned to push a boulder uphill forever, and Reeder said that idea of effort changed how she laid out the turns. She explained the difference between this and a maze to syracuse.com:
"You never get lost. There are no tricks. A maze is something that's meant to be tricky and to fool you, and the labyrinth is meant to give you a peaceful experience where you know that you will always get home again."
The Willow Boulders Are Still Being Made
Schultz's two sculptures took months of handwork. Syracuse.com put her time at roughly 300 hours. She spent several days harvesting donated willow from a field owned by SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. She set the base of each boulder by pushing pieces deep into the ground, then stripped every branch of leaves and side shoots and tested how far it would bend before weaving it in.
For now there are two boulders. Schultz has picked a few more spots but may not have time to finish them this fall. The project is supported by the Thornden Park Association and Syracuse Parks, Recreation and Youth Programs, with funding from CNY Arts, the Westcott Area Cultural Coalition and Tomorrow's Neighborhoods Today - East Side. Both artists said they hope it stays in Thornden for years.
Why the Window Is Late Fall
The labyrinth is a mowed line through standing grass, so the meadow around it is the piece. Right now the tall growth on both sides still shows the route clearly, and the willow boulders stand out against it. Reeder mowed the path regularly while she was making it, and the artists have said they hope the installation lasts for years. The Thornden Park Association's homepage still lists it as "Coming Summer 2026."
Reeder has worked with snow before. On January 26, 2022, she walked spirals covering more than two miles into the snow at Woodland Reservoir, syracuse.com reported. She told the paper she makes outdoor drawings whenever it snows and has walked labyrinths as long as six miles. Whatever happens at the water tower once snow falls, this week the labyrinth is still a path cut through grass.
Reeder summed up her hopes for the project in the syracuse.com piece: she wants people "to pay attention to where they live and care more about it," and added, "Care is at the center of this."
The Same Kind of Upkeep Runs Across the Park
The labyrinth isn't the only new route in Thornden that depends on volunteers. The Thornden Park Association, founded in 1983 to look after the 76-acre historic park, is building a new path of about a mile with neighborhood volunteers and the City Parks Department. Most of the work is mulching. The loop is planned to connect:
- The E.M. Mills Rose Garden
- The lily pond and herb garden
- The carriage barn and azalea walk
- The pool
- The amphitheater
The association's homepage says the first loop "nears completion," with final touches that include new trail markers. A volunteer notice on the same page asks for help finishing the mulching.
Last Saturday, October 24, two work parties were scheduled on the park's west side. The association's lopping party was set for 10 a.m. to noon at the Lily Pond, clearing weed growth, mostly buckthorn, from the Ostrom brick path, and volunteers were asked to bring loppers, hand saws or pruning shears. At 501 Ostrom Ave., Syracuse Parks & Recreation, the Syracuse Rose Society and the association listed a rose garden cleanup from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. to weed, edge and winterize the roses, the beds and the park and forest areas around them. Both are listed on the Westcott neighborhood events calendar.
| Feature | What it's made of | Who keeps it up | Status as of late October 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Paths We Weave | Mown meadow and woven willow | Reeder, Schultz, Syracuse Parks | Two boulders done, more possible later |
| New loop trail | Mulch | TPA volunteers, City Parks | First loop described as nearing completion |
| Ostrom brick path at the Lily Pond | Brick, with buckthorn cut back by hand | TPA volunteers | Lopping party scheduled October 24 |
| E.M. Mills Rose Garden | Rose beds | Parks, Syracuse Rose Society, TPA | Winterizing cleanup scheduled October 24 |
Behind the Rose Garden, a Building Made of Steel
The crane in the background of the labyrinth photos marks the biggest change on Thornden's edge. Syracuse University has said that Ostrom Avenue and 544 University Place are the same building. It's a 568-bed residence hall, one of three new halls planned for second-year students starting in fall 2027. The university's September 22, 2026 update counted 35,000 cubic yards of earth excavated, about 250 tons of structural steel and more than 1 million square feet of drywall used so far.
The building sits next to the E.M. Mills Rose Garden. A 2024 shadow study for the project projected that the garden would still get at least eight hours of full sun a day, syracuse.com reported at the time.
If you walk in from Ostrom, plan around the construction. The Daily Orange reported in August that the west-side Ostrom Avenue sidewalk would stay closed for the whole academic year while work continues. A separate weekday closure of the 700 block of Ostrom, between Euclid Avenue and University Place, was scheduled to end October 21.
This Saturday, Start on Victoria Place
Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, and the Westcott Neighborhood Association's fifth annual Halloween Dog Parade runs from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Dogs and their people gather in the Petit Branch Library parking lot at 105 Victoria Place, walk a half-mile route through the neighborhood behind Second Line Syracuse, a New Orleans-style brass band, and come back to the library for cider and donuts donated by The Summit Federal Credit Union. The event is free. The music is funded through CNY Arts' regional regrant program.
After the parade, head for the meadow at the base of the water tower, where the mowed path winds past Schultz's two willow boulders.
The RPP Team at High Falls Sotheby's International Realty follows how places like Thornden Park change from season to season across Sedgwick, Strathmore and University Hill and the rest of Syracuse. If you'd like to know how the new hall on Ostrom or the park's trail work could affect the blocks around you, reach out and we'll walk through it with you.
