Having kids has made me see the holidays in a different light. I find myself thinking about my own childhood and all the stuff I used to look forward to each December so I can do those same things with my own kids. Like when my dad would pile us all in the ’78 Caprice Classic and we’d cruise around to find the best—and most ridiculous—Christmas light displays in town. I know I know, not a very eco-friendly ritual; but most of us are gonna do it anyway. So last week on Facebook, I asked you where your favorite local light displays were. You answered. And I’ve begun mapping them all out in one convenient location so you don’t have to spend countless hours (and fuel) driving around Rochester trying to find them yourself…
Archive: December, 2012...
The Best Holiday Light Displays in Rochester v1.0
Saturday, December 22nd, 2012Tags: best christmas light displays in Rochester NY, best christmas lights in Rochester NY, Christmas, Christmas houses, Christmas light display, Christmas lights, holiday light display, holiday lights, holidays, map of Christmas lights Rochester NY, map of holiday lights Rochester NY, Rochester, Rochester NY, rochester photos, synchronized Christmas lights, synchronized holiday lights
Posted in Art + Culture, Rochester Destinations, Rochester Images | 18 Comments »
Proof, Santa Is Real
Wednesday, December 19th, 2012
It’s December 24, 1914, and two fashionably dressed little girls have Santa Claus cornered at the entrance to a downtown Rochester department store. And they are absolutely spellbound. Be sure to click on this image for a closer look. If this is not the definition of the holidays I don’t know what is. I like to imagine what the girls were saying at this moment; “Hey shouldn’t you be at the North Pole making our toys?! … Can we swing from your beard? … You know, you don’t look nearly as fat in real life, Santa.”
Yes, I am forever grateful to you, Mr. Photographer, for capturing this moment in time. A moment which would have otherwise been lost somewhere in the ether, has been wrapped up and handed to us with a great big bow. Yes, Virginia, Santa is real. Oh, and if you’re wondering where exactly this conversation with Santa took place…
Tags: downtown Rochester, Duffy-McInnerney Department Store, Duffy-Powers Department Store, Fitzhugh Street, Main Street, old photos, old photos of Rochester, old photos of Rochester NY, Rochester, Rochester history, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), Rochester NY, Santa
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images | 6 Comments »
Cunningham Cars and the Pursuit of Excellence. Made in Rochester.
Tuesday, December 18th, 2012
A friend of mine, Scott Wischmeyer (from Our Tiny Earth ), has been looking for ideas for a project car that he could start next summer. While looking, he decided to Google “Cars made in Rochester, NY.” What he stumbled upon next was a true American classic – the Cunningham car…
Tags: Canal Street, Cunningham Automobile Factory, Cunningham car, Dr. Michael Cunningham, Ford, Gleason Works, James Cunningham, Jay Leno, Jay Leno's Garage, made in Rochester, Our Tiny Earth, Rochester, Rochester Made Means Quality, Rochester Museum and Science Center, Rochester NY, Rolls Royce, Scott Wischmeyer, Smithsonian National Museum of American History, Son & Co.
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images | 26 Comments »
Rust Belt Cities: Rather Than Patronizing Young People, Give Them What They Ask For
Monday, December 17th, 2012
I want to share with you an opinion piece from RustWire.com last week. The article was reposted on BuffaloRising.com and it’s now made its way down I-90 to RochesterSubway.com. Angie Schmitt begins by blasting attempts to market cities to young people. Angie cites an example from Columbus, Ohio where leaders spent a $30,000 grant to hire a so-called “Gen Y” expert to tell them how they could retain and attract the widely-coveted demographic. “Why didn’t they just ask the young people that live there what they want, and maybe put the $30,000 toward that?” she asks…
Tags: Angie Schmitt, Boston, BuffaloRising.com, Cleveland, Columbus OH, Global Cleveland Initiative, livibility, New York City, RustWire.com, San Francisco, suburbanization, urban design, urban revitalization
Posted in Opinion, Transit + Infrastructure, Urban Development | 17 Comments »
Some Needed Attention for Saint Joseph’s Park
Tuesday, December 11th, 2012
Ted Collins Tree & Landscape is proud to announce that it will be working with the Landmark Society of Western New York in the re-landscaping and re-opening of St. Joseph’s Park – a downtown park that has been closed for over ten years. Greg Frank, co-owner of the oldest landscaping firm in the Rochester area, became aware of this special site through a conversation with colleagues who shared their desire to see the park re-open. After visiting the area around the site, he realized that redevelopment was beginning to take place and so approached the Landmark Society about donating his company’s services – along with plant and landscape materials – to bring the park back as a special place for gathering and contemplation.
Tags: downtown Rochester, Landmark Society of Western New York, Rochester, Rochester NY, Saint Joseph's, Saint Joseph's Church, Saint Joseph's Park, Ted Collins Tree & Landscape
Posted in Rochester Destinations, Rochester Images, Rochester News, Urban Development | 9 Comments »
Today, December 11, in Rochester History: A Strange Sidewalk Accident
Tuesday, December 11th, 2012 Tuesday, December 11th, 2012Tags: accident, China, James Kenny, John Hornby, old photos, old photos of Rochester, Rochester, Rochester history, Rochester NY, Saint Paul Street, sidewalk accident, sidewalks, South Avenue, this date in Rochester history, Woonsocket RI
Posted in Rochester History, Transit + Infrastructure | 6 Comments »
The Man Behind ‘Spaceman’
Monday, December 10th, 2012
Recently I asked, “Who is Spaceman?” This guy’s work has been showing up in unexpected places around town for a while now. Although I’m still not sure who the guy in the space suit is, the actual artist did come forward. And I had a chance to sit down with him at Boulder Coffee in the South Wedge. Among other things I asked him what he thought about people who call his work “trashy” or “criminal.” With the Geico Gecko watching us from the billboard across the street, he pointed to it and said, “Would you rather see a Geico ad at every four-way stop? I’m just trying to make people smile.”
For two hours we talked about his work, what motivates him, life in Rochester, keeping our waterways clean, philosophy, Tibetan monks, and other stuff. For obvious reasons he wishes to remain anonymous, so I’ll refer to him in this interview as “Spaceman Artist”. Here’s a taste of our conversation…
Tags: art, artist, Banksy, Can Of Worms interchange, Graffiti, I-490, I-590, public art, Rochester, Rochester NY, Shepard Fairey, streetart, who is Spaceman
Posted in Interviews, Rochester News | 29 Comments »
Birdseye View of Fitzhugh Street, Rochester c.1904
Friday, December 7th, 2012
Here’s a fun birdseye view of Fitzhugh Street in downtown Rochester. This photo was probably taken from the roof of the Powers Hotel or the Powers Building on Main Street sometime between 1900 and 1910. The large building in the lower right is what we know to be City Hall, at the time the U.S. Federal Building and post office. To its left and across the street is (or was) the First Methodist Episcopal Church. And across the street and to the left of it was the First Baptist Church…
Tags: ACME Oil Burning Engines and Boilers, Buckingham Commons, Detroit Publishing Co., downtown Rochester, Dugan & Hudson Co., Federal Building, First Baptist Church, First Methodist Episcopal Church, Fitzhugh Street, Graves Elevator Co., Kodak factory and offices, Martin Bros. Piano Co., Presbyterian Church, Rochester, Rochester City Hall, Rochester Electric Motor Co., Rochester NY, Saint Patrick's Cathedral
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images | 4 Comments »
Preservation: Whose Responsibility is it Anyway?
Thursday, December 6th, 2012
Last week Rochester’s Zoning Board heard public testimony, both in favor of, and in opposition to a developer’s plan to demolish a historic church at 660 W. Main St. in Rochester and replace it with a Dollar General store. Of all the comments made during that 2-3 hour hearing, the one drawing the most buzz was made by a member of the Zoning Board itself, Patrick Tobin . As an article in the D&C recounted, this board member expressed frustration that, “while preservationists and others urge them to protect these buildings, little is done to keep the structures from falling into severe disrepair.”
Mr. Tobin’s comment is similar to one I hear in the comments section of this blog quite frequently where preservation vs. demolition cases are discussed. Let me paraphrase… “If you loved the building so much then why didn’t you ‘preservationists’ do something about it until now? Why’d you wait until the property owner wants to tear it down?” There are so many things wrong with this line of thought there isn’t a comment box big enough for me to fit an answer in to.
Coincidentally (or should I say, as luck would have it), Wayne Goodman, Executive Director of the Landmark Society, stepped up to the podium immediately after Mr. Tobin’s comment was fired at the preservation community. And, as I expected, Goodman took great exception to the remarks.
So I reached out to Goodman and asked him to help us understand why preservationists don’t do a better job of keeping these “historic” buildings from falling into disrepair. Goodman sent me the following statement…
Tags: 660 W. Main Street, Democrat & Chronicle, Democrat and Chronicle, Landmark Society of Western New York, Patrick Tobin, preservation, Rochester, Rochester NY, Wayne Goodman, Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA)
Posted in Opinion, Rochester News, Urban Development | 7 Comments »
B. Forman Co.
Wednesday, December 5th, 2012
For the past few days we’ve been doing some holiday window shopping at the old Sibley’s and McCurdy’s department stores. “But, WAIT! What about B. Forman’s?…” you say? Well, I searched around a bit, and though I wasn’t able to find many photos of window displays from B. Forman Co., fear not… I’ve got something you might like. Newspaper ads from December 18 – December 25, 1929! Don’t say I never gave you anything…
Tags: ad, B. Foreman Co. Department Store, Christmas, Clinton Ave, Clinton Avenue, Democrat & Chronicle, Democrat and Chronicle, downtown Rochester, holidays, McCurdy & Co., old photos, old photos of Rochester, old photos of Rochester NY, Rochester, Rochester history, Rochester NY, Sibly Lindsay & Curr Co.
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images | 6 Comments »
Window Shopping at McCurdy & Co.
Tuesday, December 4th, 2012
Do you remember window shopping at the big downtown department stores? Freezing cold holiday shoppers all pressed up against the plate glass like moths to a porch light. Dreams of sugar plums and reindeer and presents under the tree were fueled by these sparkling menageries of the latest and greatest stuff. The displays themselves were an art form; and drawing people in off the street was the ultimate goal. In all but our largest metros, scenes like these have been lost as retailers gradually moved to suburban malls. Yesterday we went window shopping at the old Sibley, Lindsay & Curr Co. department store. Today let’s browse a series of pictures (also from the Rochester Public Library) documenting some of the windows at McCurdy & Co. department store in downtown Rochester more than 70 years ago…
Tags: Christmas, downtown Rochester, Elm Street, Empire Theater, holiday windows, holidays, John Cooke McCurdy, Main Street, May Department Stores, McCurdy & Co., McCurdy & Co. Department Store, McCurdy and Robinson, old photos, old photos of Rochester, old photos of Rochester NY, Rochester history, Rochester NY, window shopping
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images | 3 Comments »
Window Shopping at Sibley, Lindsay & Curr Co.
Saturday, December 1st, 2012
Do you remember window shopping at the big downtown department stores? Freezing cold holiday shoppers all pressed up against the plate glass like moths to a porch light. Dreams of sugar plums and reindeer and presents under the tree were fueled by these sparkling menageries of the latest and greatest stuff. The displays themselves were an art form; and pulling people in off the street was the ultimate goal. In all but our largest metros, scenes like these have been lost as retailers gradually moved to suburban malls. This series of pictures from the Rochester Public Library documents some of the windows at Sibley, Lindsay and Curr Co. department store in downtown Rochester more than 70 years ago…
Tags: Alexander M. Lindsay, Christmas, downtown Rochester, Empire Theater, holiday windows, holidays, John Curr, Main Street, May Department Stores, old photos, old photos of Rochester, old photos of Rochester NY, Osburn House, Rochester history, Rochester NY, Rufus Sibley, Sibley Building, Sibley's, Sibley's Department Store, Sibly Lindsay & Curr Co., window shopping
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images | 13 Comments »