RochesterSubway.com : LEGO Travel Adventure at Strong Museum

Archive: February, 2013...

LEGO Travel Adventure at Strong Museum

Wednesday, February 27th, 2013

I took a few hours to have some fun this week at The Strong, National Museum of Play. They’ve got a killer exhibit going on right now, through May 12. A history of transportation built entirely out of LEGO! I haven’t geeked out this bad since Norm Abrams came to Chase-Pitkin for a “This Old House” book signing. Check this out…

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Wednesday, February 27th, 2013
Tags: Henry Ford, LEGO, LEGO Travel Adventures, miniature, Model T, Orville Wright, space shuttle, Strong National Museum of Play, The Strong, Titanic, transcontinental railroad, transportation, Wilbur Wright, Wright Brothers
Posted in Art + Culture, Events, Rochester News, Train/Railroad Stuff, Transit + Infrastructure | No Comments »

Historic Brighton Village

Monday, February 25th, 2013

This weekend, Wegmans closed their current East Avenue store so they could transition into their new, larger building . The new store replaces a historic area that was once the center of Brighton in the 19th century. The old Village of Brighton was served by the Erie Canal (now I-490). The canal was rerouted in the early 20th century and the entire area was annexed to the City of Rochester in 1905…

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Monday, February 25th, 2013
Tags: Andy Olenick, architecture, Brighton Branch of the Rochester Public Library, Brighton School No. 2, Brighton Village, Cyrus Oriental Rugs, demolition, East Avenue, East Avenue Wegmans, Fountain Bleu Coiffures, history of Rochester, Kate Lays, Kate Lotz, Martin Brewer Anderson School No. 1, Old Brighton Antiques, old photos of Rochester, old photos of Rochester NY, Rochester, Rochester history, Rochester NY, rochester photos, Safelink Supply, Upstate New York Alarm, Wegman's, William Billinghurst, Winton Road
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images, Urban Development | 18 Comments »

City Homeowner Fights to Keep Her Home

Friday, February 22nd, 2013

Mary Smith has lived at 53 Cutler Street on the city’s north side for 30 years. After her husband died, and some serious health problems (spinal surgeries and years of therapy) Mary says she fell behind on her taxes – by about $30,000. The City of Rochester and Monroe County then sold her tax debt to a Florida company called American Tax Funding . Mary says she now has the ability to pay her debt, but American Tax Funding will not negotiate. On Tuesday, they may throw her out of her house and auction off the property. Volunteers with a group called Take Back the Land is helping Mary with a petition to ask CEO, Matthew A. Marini, to cancel the foreclosure auction and negotiate a settlement…

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Friday, February 22nd, 2013
Tags: 53 Cutler Street, American Tax Funding, City of Rochester, Julie Gelfand, Mary Smith, Monroe County, Rochester, Rochester NY, Take Back The Land
Posted in Rochester News, Urban Development | 3 Comments »

Filling In: Monroe Ave

Thursday, February 21st, 2013

The following is a guest post submitted by Matthew Denker.
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Last week RocSubway learned that developer Thomas Masaschi is converting the old Ted Cohen’s Office Furniture store into three upscale penthouses, lofts and retail space on the first floor. You know the place ; behind the Hess gas station on Monroe Ave. So we thought, for this week’s edition of “Filling In,” why not look at Monroe Ave, and how we could make one of Rochester’s most walkable strips even better! We’ll focus on a few small changes that could be implemented quickly, and then a few bigger ideas for the corridor going forward…

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Thursday, February 21st, 2013
Tags: 7-eleven, Amherst Street, Arby's, Autozone, Barnes Dance, Brueggers, Dac Hoa, diagonal crosswalk, Dunkin Donuts, Filling In, Goodman Street, Matthew Denker, McDonald's, Monroe Avenue, Oxford Street, Pizza Hut, Rutgers Street, Sumner Park
Posted in Reader Submitted Stories, Rochester Images, Urban Development | 66 Comments »

13 Mailboxes

Friday, February 15th, 2013

I don’t know why, but I really like the number 13. Some people go out of their way to avoid 13. Not me. In fact, I’m about to embark on a yearlong project for 2013. I’m going to pick 13 random subjects. Take 13 snapshots of each. And we’ll see if we can paint a portrait of Rochester.

Let’s start with the seemingly mundane mailbox. Most of these snapshots were taken near Sea Breeze…

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Friday, February 15th, 2013
Tags: 13 mailboxes, 13x13x13, mailbox, mailboxes, Rochester, Rochester NY, rochester photos
Posted in Art + Culture, Rochester Images | 4 Comments »

Fortified Rochester

Wednesday, February 13th, 2013

The following is a guest post submitted by Joel Helfrich.
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You do not have to be a designer to see that Rochester has a problem—well, a number of problems, actually. That we continue to make the same mistakes, however, regarding design of our built environment, is perhaps one of the most egregious. This column highlights some of the worst offenders in Rochester—some of which are still being built…

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Wednesday, February 13th, 2013
Tags: architecture, City of Quartz: Excavating the Future in Los Angeles, East Avenue Wegmans, EchoTone Music, Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield, James PB Duffy School No. 12, Joel Helfrich, McDonald's, Mike Davis, Postler & Jaeckle, Rochester Riverside Convention Center, South Avenue, South Wedge, urban design, Wegman's
Posted in Architecture, Opinion, Reader Submitted Stories, Rochester Images, Urban Development | 68 Comments »

The Old Barber House

Monday, February 11th, 2013

John Failings Barber settled in the area of Portage, NY during the pioneer days. He struggled with tragedy and hardship and eventually became a prosperous farmer and banker. He built this home—which he called, “Chestnut Place”—on the corner of Short Tract and Oakland roads . Before I continue, please be advised, this house is on posted private property.

Emily Stauring is a photographer from Arkport, NY. She took most of these photos while out for a drive with a friend…

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Monday, February 11th, 2013
Tags: abandoned, abandoned house, abandoned mansion, abandoned places, Barber House, Burned Over District, Cayuga County, Chestnut Place, Emily Stauring, Graffiti, Joan Schumaker, John Barber, John Failing Barber, Luke Myer, mansion, Marjorie Frost, Nathaniel Alward, Nunda Historical Society, Oakland Road, photography, Portage NY, Portageville NY, Robert Gath, rochester photos, Roy Gath, Short Tract, Tom Cook
Posted in Rochester Destinations, Rochester History, Rochester Images, Urban Exploration | 63 Comments »

Happy Birthday, Grand Central Station

Friday, February 8th, 2013

Lots of stories about Grand Central Station have been flying around the internet these past few weeks. The station first opened its doors on Feb. 2, 1913. And no matter how grand it may be, 100 years is nothing to take lightly. Especially considering how many “grand” stations have fallen to the wrecking ball before. In 1968, the New York City’s Landmarks Commission denied a developer permission to demolish much of the upper level concourse and the Vanderbilt Room. A 55-story tower was planned to take its place. That Landmark Commission was formed in 1965 after the demolition of Penn Station – which was equally as beautiful. The photo above was taken just after the morning rush hour, on January 9, 1968…

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Friday, February 8th, 2013
Tags: Grand Central Station, New York Central Railroad, New York City, NYC, railroad station
Posted in New York City Subway, Train/Railroad Stuff, Transit + Infrastructure | 2 Comments »

Help Build the Sunken Garden at High Falls

Thursday, February 7th, 2013

GardenAerial is a non-profit organization working to transform the High Falls gorge, including its industrial structures and trails, into a multi-use, public green space. Full disclosure…I serve on the board of the GardenAerial. I jumped at the opportunity to support this organization because I believe the High Falls and surrounding area could be great assets for this city, but they are woefully underutilized. We’re working to change that. And here’s a tremendous opportunity for you to help right now…

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Thursday, February 7th, 2013
Tags: Browns Race, Center at High Falls, downtown Rochester, Friends of the GardenAerial, GardenAerial, High Falls, Rochester, Rochester NY, sunken garden
Posted in Art + Culture, Rochester News, Transit + Infrastructure, Urban Development | 5 Comments »

Filling In: Capron/Geva

Wednesday, February 6th, 2013

The following is a guest post submitted by Matthew Denker.
Submit your story today.

Welcome back! Last week we looked at a block that almost had it all. This week, let’s see what we can do on a much larger scale with a block that needs a little more work. A roughly 600’x600’ square mega block at the southern entrance to downtown. There are a few good things going on here; Geva Theater , Capron Lofts , Plan Architects . And, a few not so good; a sweeping highway off-ramp, a GIANT parking lot across the street from TWO garages, and random weedy surface lots…

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Wednesday, February 6th, 2013
Tags: Capron Street, Clinton Ave, Clinton Avenue, development, downtown, downtown Rochester, Filling In, Geva Theater, infill development, Matthew Denker, Merkel Donohue, Rochester, Rochester NY, St. Mary's Place, urban design
Posted in Reader Submitted Stories, Rochester Images, Urban Development | 19 Comments »

University of Rochester’s Lost Swimming Pool

Monday, February 4th, 2013

“It’s one of the eeriest, strangest places I’ve ever been.” That’s what Chris Seward said of this little known spot on the University of Rochester campus when he took these photos. The Merle Spurrier Gymnasium opened in 1955 as part of a women’s center and the Susan B. Anthony women’s dormitory. Spurrier housed this 25-yard-long, six lane swimming pool. According to a 2004 Campus Times article , the pool has been closed ever since the women’s gym facilities were moved to the Robert B. Goergen Athletic Center in 1982…

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Monday, February 4th, 2013
Tags: abandoned swimming pool, Chris Seward, Flickr, Jane Possee, Merle Spurrier, Merle Spurrier Gymnasium, Robert B. Goergen Athletic Center, Rochester, Rochester NY, Rochester panorama, rochester photos, Tony DiPietro, U of R, University of Rochester
Posted in Art + Culture, Rochester History, Rochester Images, Urban Exploration | 30 Comments »

40 Days After Lake Road

Sunday, February 3rd, 2013

Forty days after the insanity on Lake Road I thought I’d take a drive out there to see it for myself. To have some quiet time. And to reflect. These photos were taken on Saturday, February 2, 2013…