Danielle Raymo and Stephanie Rankin, two recent college grads, have just opened a new and exciting business in Village Gate. Rochester Brainery brings fun and affordable learning experiences to the public with sort of a no-strings attached philosophy. They seek out people in the community to come in and run educational workshops on various topics of interest, and anyone can sign up to take a class…
Archive: March, 2013...
Local History Classes at New “Rochester Brainery”
Friday, March 29th, 2013Tags: Danielle Raymo, educational classes, history of Rochester, local business, local history, new business, Rochester, Rochester Brainery, Rochester history, Rochester NY, Stephanie Rankin, Village Gate
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester News | 3 Comments »
Filling In: 88 Elm
Thursday, March 28th, 2013![88 Elm Street. 13 floors of empty waiting for you to do something with it. [PHOTO: City of Rochester]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/filling-in-88-elm-01.jpg)
The following is a guest post submitted by Matthew Denker.
Submit your story today.
As some of you may or may not know, the city has finally released a Request for Proposals (RFP) on 88 Elm Street 
. Up front, here’s a link to the RFP , in case you run a development company, or if you’re Larry Glazer and you’re looking for another project to work on.
In any event, here’s some background on 88 Elm St. Somehow, despite being built sometime in the 60s, no one is exactly sure when 88 Elm St. was constructed, or where, exactly, it came from. You’d think that’d be impossible in this day and age, but it’s not. In 1998, the city decided it had enough of the owners of the property not paying their taxes and they took it. All well and good, except now it’s been empty for 15 years. It’s emptier than you might think. The city spent more than a million dollars on an asbestos abatement and a new roof. The building has no electrical system, no sprinkler system, no HVAC, no plumbing. It is a completely bare 13 story tower. That’s a bit of a rarity, and it could be yours for only $360,000. Apparently that’s the market rate for the 13-story husk of a building…
Tags: 88 Elm Street, adaptive reuse, development, downtown, downtown Rochester, Elm Street, Filling In, Matthew Denker, Midtown Plaza, Rochester, Rochester NY, urban design
Posted in Opinion, Reader Submitted Stories, Urban Development | 16 Comments »
Pot Holds Bowie in Rochester
Monday, March 25th, 2013![David Bowie's mugshot after being arrested in Rochester NY for possession of marijuana. [PHOTO: Provided by Todd Hess]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/david-bowie-mugshot-rochester-ny-01.jpg)
It was 37 years ago today when the greatest photo in RPD history was taken. David Bowie was in town on his 1976 World Tour. After giving a performance at the War Memorial Arena on March 20, Bowie was arrested in a hotel suite in the early morning hours of March 21. Three others were also booked including James Osterberg, or Iggy Pop, the “godfather of punk rock.” This infamous mugshot was taken when the rockstar returned to Rochester and pleaded “not guilty” to the felony drug charge in Rochester City Court. This was the story printed in the Democrat and Chronicle the morning of March 22, 1976…
Tags: Blue Cross Arena, concert, David Bowie, Dwain Voughns, Iggy Pop, James Osterberg, marijuana, mugshot, music, musician, pot, Rochester, Rochester NY, Rochester Police Department, RPD, Thomas G. Presutti, War Memorial, War Memorial Arena
Posted in Art + Culture, Rochester History, Rochester Images | 31 Comments »
Dollar Store Developer: “Not one preservationist stepped forward”
Wednesday, March 20th, 2013![The former Westminster Presbyterian Church at 660 West Main Street could become a Dollar General store. [PHOTO: RochesterSubway.com]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-westminster-church-660-west-main-01.jpg)
On Monday I wrote a post about a Zoning Board public hearing coming up on Thursday (tomorrow). Marvin Maye, owner of an old church building on West Main Street will be challenging that building’s status as a Designated Building of Historic Value. If the building is removed from that list of protected city properties, he plans to demolish the church and build a Dollar General store.
Craig Walker is a developer who has been working with Mr. Maye on this project. He tells us that while he would have liked to see the church converted into a jazz/blues club and dance hall, conversion of the church would be cost prohibitive. And while the building was on the market, “not one ‘preservationist’ stepped forward to advance any plan.”
Here are Mr. Walker’s comments in full, with a few follow-up questions afterwards…
Posted in Reader Submitted Stories, Rochester News, Urban Development | 34 Comments »
Climb Up Inside UofR’s Rush Rhees Library
Tuesday, March 19th, 2013![University of Rochester's Rush Rhees Library, originally completed in 1930 and named for Rush Rhees, the university's first president (1900-1935). What do you say we climb up inside this? [PHOTO: RochesterSubway.com]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/university-of-rochester-rush-rhees-library-01.jpg)
She’s a thing of beauty, don’t you think? Hundreds of thousands of square feet packed with mind-strengthening knowledge, all wrapped in 16 stories of brick and limestone, and capped off with 6,668 pounds of bronze bells. It’s the largest musical instrument in the city of Rochester, and also one of the top 50 research libraries in North America.
Proudly watching over the Eastman Quad , Rush Rhees Library at the University of Rochester seems to call out, “Come to me. Come to me and get your education on.” Personally, I’ve always wondered what the views are like from the top of that bell tower. What do you say we all climb up inside there and race to the top? Let’s go…
Tags: A.W. Hopeman and Sons, architecture, Arendt Willem Hopeman, Bloomfield, carillon, Fauver Stadium, Gordon & Kaelber Architects, Halloween Scare Fair, Harry Potter, Hopeman Carillon, Hopeman Memorial Chime, Immanuel Kant, Jeff Le, Michigan, Plato, René Descartes, Robert B. Goergen Athletic Center, Rochester, rochester images, Rochester NY, Rochester panorama, rochester photos, Rush Rhees Library, University of Rochester, UofR, urban exploration
Posted in Rochester Destinations, Rochester History, Rochester Images | 10 Comments »
Judgement Day for an Old Church, and an Unbuilt “College Town”
Sunday, March 17th, 2013
Two important cases will go before the Zoning Board this Thursday: the ongoing saga of one historic church on Main Street, and design concerns regarding the future College Town. Salvation for the church, as well as the promise of a pedestrian-friendly College Town, may hang in the balance.
First, if you’ve been following the story of the little white church at 660 W. Main Street, owner Marvin Maye will make one more appeal to challenge the building’s status as a Designated Building of Historic Value. If he succeeds, he could have a clear path forward to demolish the 140-something-year-old church.* And in its place would go a Dollar General store…
Tags: 660 W. Main Street, Celebration Drive, College Town, Collegetown, demolition, design standards, Designated Building of Historic Value, development, development plans, Elmwood Ave, Marvin Maye, Mount Hope, Rochester, Rochester NY, Stacie Colaprete, street design, Susan B. Anthony Neighborhood, University of Rochester, UofR, urban design, Westminster Presbyterian Church, zoning, Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA), zoning code
Posted in Opinion, Rochester News, Urban Development | 34 Comments »
Filling In: Avon Place
Friday, March 15th, 2013
The following is a guest post submitted by Matthew Denker.
Submit your story today.
One of the best places to put additional density is near public parks. Why you ask? Well, that’s an excellent question. Not only do parks double as excellent backyards that homeowners don’t need to mow, but they provide excellent views (that will never go away), and density around parks makes the parks themselves more attractive to passers-by.
All of this translates to adding housing around pre-existing parks. This should be a priority for the city. While I am hoping to tackle a master plan for Brown Square Park (by Frederick Law Olmsted, no less!), let’s start out with something a little smaller…
Tags: Avon Place, development, Filling In, Fountain Street, infill development, Matthew Denker, Otto Henderberg Square Park, Rochester, Rochester NY, Swillburg, urban design
Posted in Opinion, Reader Submitted Stories, Urban Development | 27 Comments »
13 Storefronts
Wednesday, March 13th, 2013
I’ve given myself a photo assignment for 2013. Pick 13 subjects, and take 13 snapshots of each. Simple. We started last month with 13 mailboxes. This month I turned my lens on what I thought were some of Rochester’s most intriguing storefronts. These images were taken on the city’s east side, from Monroe Ave up to East Ridge Road…
Tags: 13 storefronts, 13x13x13, 819 Clinton Grocery, Big Deal Fashions, Boost Mobile, Clinton Avenue, Color Nails, Craft Company No. 6, Food, Main & Clinton, Main Street, Mellow Madness Tattoo Parlor, Monroe Avenue, North Clinton Avenue, North Union Street, Park Avenue, Portland Avenue, Rochester, Rochester NY, Rochester Public Market, S and M Mini Mart, S&S Express, Schuber Liquor Store, South Avenue, storefronts, University Avenue, Zimmermann's Hots, Zips
Posted in Art + Culture, Rochester Images | 12 Comments »
Loving Life at Erie Harbor Apartments
Monday, March 11th, 2013![Jim Mayer and his wife Irene invite us into their home at Erie Harbor Apartments. [PHOTO: RochesterSubway.com]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/erie-harbor-apartments-01.jpg)
“The units at Erie Harbor are very poorly designed and overpriced… The ground floor units don’t even have a view of the river – it is blocked by a berm… Shoddy construction… The stairs creak… Tacky… Ugliest building in Rochester…” These are all comments you may have heard about the Erie Harbor Apartments which were officially opened last fall .
When comments like these were left under a recent post on RochesterSubway.com, Jim Mayer didn’t take it sitting down. He contacted me and invited me to visit his home. He and his wife Irene sold their home in Brighton and now live at Erie Harbor. I admit, after nearly a three hour visit, I left feeling a bit jealous at just how much this couple is loving life in their new digs…
Tags: Abundance Cooperative Market, Brighton, downtown Rochester, Erie Harbor Apartments, Genesee River, Genesee Riverway Trail, Genesee Rowing Club, Irene Allen, Irene Mayer, Jim Mayer, Lofts at Village Gate, Mise en Place, Rochester, Rochester NY, Rochester Public Market, South Wedge, The Hamilton, University of Rochester, urban design, urban living
Posted in Interviews, Rochester News, Urban Development | 41 Comments »
Filling In: 759 Park Ave
Wednesday, March 6th, 2013![John Baker, Steve Gullace, Chris Gullace have proposed to construct a new gym and a 48 unit apartment building here at 759 Park Ave. [IMAGE: Bing Maps]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/filling-in-park-avenue-02.jpg)
The following is a guest post submitted by Matthew Denker.
Submit your story today.
Well, dear readers, I must admit that this is not exactly what I had planned when I left you the last time. That said, please bear with me while we look at something a little bit different.
John Baker, Steve Gullace, Chris Gullace have proposed to construct a new gym and a 48 unit apartment building at 759 Park Ave . The gym would be for the Talmudic Institute next door, while the apartments would be for rent. This has, not surprisingly, drawn a raft of criticism from the residents of the Park Ave neighborhood…
Tags: 759 Park Ave, Chris Gullace, development, Filling In, infill development, John Baker, Matthew Denker, Park Avenue, Rochester, Rochester NY, Steve Gullace
Posted in Opinion, Reader Submitted Stories, Rochester News, Urban Development | 49 Comments »
The Rochester Landmarks Poster, by Richard Margolis
Monday, March 4th, 2013![Rochester Landmarks Poster [IMAGE: Richard Margolis]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-landmarks-poster-richard-margolis.jpg)
When I first moved to Rochester’s Swillburg neighborhood thirteen years ago, my favorite place to eat was Highland Park Diner. I remember this Rochester Landmarks poster, by Richard Margolis, hung over one of the booths there. I used to stare and study those landmarks all the while shoveling Aunt Bee’s Homestyle Meatloaf into my face. Ah, my first taste of Rochester. Today I own that poster, and I’ve now been to all but one of the 38 landmarks on it. It’s a great feeling!
Now you can get your hands on a copy of this Landmark poster from the RochesterSubway.com Gift Shop, and start checking them off your list too. Can you name all 38 landmarks? No peeking! The answers are after the jump…
Tags: Aqueduct Bridge, ARTwalk, Browns Race, Bust of Goethe, Center at High Falls, Charlotte Lighthouse, Colgate Divinity School, Cutler Union, Don’s Original, Driving Park Bridge, Eastman Theater, Erie Canal, First Universalist Church of Rochester, Genesee Brewery, Genesee River, George Eastman House, Geva Theatre, gift idea, Gift Shop, High Falls, Highland Park, Highland Park Diner, Hojack Swing Bridge, House of Guitars, Hoyt-Potter house, Jack Rabbit, Jines, Kodak World Headquarters, Lamberton Conservatory, Landmark Society, Let’s Have Tea, Little Theatre, Lower Falls, Main Street Armory, Memorial Art Gallery, Naval Armory, Nick Tahou's, Ontario Beach, Oxford Street Magnolias, Park Avenue, photo, photographer, Poet’s Garden, poster, Richard Margolis, Robach Community Center, Rochester, rochester images, Rochester Landmarks poster, Rochester NY, rochester photos, Rochester Public Market, Sacred Heart Cathedral, Sam Patch, Schoen Place, Seabreeze Amusement Park, Seneca Park, Seneca Park Zoo, Stone Tolan House, Susan B. Anthony Square, The Powers Building, Writers & Books
Posted in Art + Culture, Rochester Destinations, Rochester History, Rochester Images | 2 Comments »
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