SU Steam Station’s complicated relationship with a Syracuse neighborhood Wendy Wang | Staff Photographer David Rufus has experienced firsthand the effects that SU's Steam Station has had on the local community. In recent years, the station has made efforts to improve its relationship with the neighborhood. Facebook Subscribe to our newsletter here. Syracuse University’s Steam Station hasn’t always been a good neighbor, according to David Rufus. Since 1926, SU’s Steam Station has towered over the corner of McBride and Taylor streets. Pioneer Homes, one of the oldest public housing communities in the U.S., is just across the street. The station borders Interstate 81, which destroyed and displaced a predominantly Black community when it was built in 1959 and continues to negatively affect residents today.