Welcome, readers, to the first of a three part series on Charlotte. This first part will serve as an introduction to the series and a brief history of Charlotte. The second part will be a survey, in the engineering sense, of the current state of Charlotte. It will include the demographics of the neighborhood and the built environment, as they exist today. Finally, the third part will layout a vision for Charlotte that works to harness all of the potential of the neighborhood. This final part will be broken into recommendations for residential and commercial development, transportation, and governance.
The plans described here will be ambitious, but we shouldn’t let ourselves shy away from ambition – as you may know, Charlotte has recently been in the news over some redevelopment plans. While Filling-In believes both plans have virtues, they both have numerous weaknesses as well. Because we are unassociated with any of the plans currently in play, and will believe they are built when we see it, the plans presented here will assume they did not happen, and instead will show a different vision of Charlotte’s future.
Rochester’s beloved Hojack Swing Bridge has been gone for more than a year, but now a new exhibit at the New York Museum of Transportation will honor the history of the former Rochester landmark. The exhibit is a re-creation of the bridge’s control cabin and contains the original steam engine, control devices, and a working model of the bridge…
No, the headline isn’t in reference to the recent controversy surrounding the port development. I wanted to take a look back, at the “good ole days,” when Ontario Beach was known as the Coney Island of central and western New York. Here’s a birds eye of view of all the shiny happy fun… The Dentzel carousel. The L.A. Thompson’s Scenic Railway. The Auditorium (a.k.a. the House of Hilarity). Such good times.
Then I noticed the peculiar site of smoke and flames in the background (click the image for a larger view). Holy smokes! Charlotte is burning! Somebody call 9-1-1!!
Who doesn’t find dimples irresistible? In 1936 Isabella Gilbert of Rochester NY invented a spring-loaded contraption that promised to “make a fine set” by pressing a pair of knobs into the cheeks.
Well I’d say that’s another one for the long list of groundbreaking innovations at Rochester Made . Thanks to Vicki Robinson for posting this fun fact to the RocSubway wall
Many of you kids will be too young to remember this – thank heavens. But five years ago on this very day, Rochester NY made national headlines when it was slammed by one of the worst food shortages in our nation’s history—possibly the world. That’s right. Popeyes up on Lake Ave ran out of chicken…
Last month we saw some pretty glitzy renderings of the Midtown Tower development with new retail stores included. Today the developer, Buckingham Properties, sent over some new renderings that show a more refined “skin” for the 17-story tower…
After a long snowy winter Rochesterians like to get outside and enjoy the milder weather. But when that blanket of snow is finally gone, an ugly layer of trash is often revealed (much of it put there by people like this guy). Don’t stress. Do something about it!
This year, Rochester’s Clean Sweep will be a one-day, city-wide event starting at 8 a.m., Saturday, May 3 at Frontier Field. In addition to a cleaner neighborhood, you’ll also get a free t-shirt and breakfast, plus get to enjoy a Redwings game, hot dog, AND a drink. Get details after the jump…
Ok, so by now you’ve heard all the commotion happening up near the port at Charlotte. The City of Rochester has two development proposals – one with 200 rental apartments, and one with 120 for-sale condos and 50 townhomes. Both would have retail and other mixed use space. But the BIG difference, one looks like Cornhill Landing, while the other would have—deep breath—tall buildings…
The last remnants of Rochester’s third New York Central Railroad Station, designed by noted architect Claude Bragdon, were demolished almost forty years ago. Now a team of researchers at the University of Rochester is seeking assistance from the local community to help restore the station’s memory…
Well, it’s time to celebrate. Rochester has just won the . To outsiders, Rochester is a Cinderella story (who in the world would have picked us to beat out Detroit in the second round?). But anyone who reads this blog is probably not surprised. We’ve been fighting the parking madness mindset on these pages for years. It’s just that now, the national blogosphere knows about Rochester’s dirty little parking problems. Our asphalt is hanging out there for the world to see.
How embarrassing. Right? Some people have asked, “Why would we want to win such a negative contest? Doesn’t this paint Rochester in a bad light?” Now the man who nominated Rochester, Matthew Denker, explains why he did…
A group of concerned parents and teachers from the Rochester City School District is seeking to open a new kind of elementary school. Their idea is to build on the success of School Of The Arts (SOTA) by offering a similar interdisciplinary curriculum in the K–6 grade levels; a curriculum that is “rich in creative expression” and with a greater focus on the individual child.
Their proposal is being called Vision Quest Community School and the group will make a presentation to Superintendent Vargas on April 21…
It’s March madness, PARKING madness, or just plain MADNESS indeed. We’ve discussed Rochester’s parking problem at length here on RocSubway. Now, all of our hard work— demolishing our city and building parking lots—is paying off. Rochester has worked its way into Streetsblog’s nationwide . Which of these 16 cities has the absolute worst urban parking crater? Readers from around the country will decide.
Take a look at what our downtown has become over the years. From a densely packed and vibrant town square, to the giant parking crater we have today.
Last week we annihilated Miami to earn a spot in the “elite eight.” In this latest round Rochester closed a sizable gap against Detroit, and it now looks like we may beat the Motor City. But there are still a few hours left, so . And tell your buddies… We’re #1!
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After the Erie Canal was rerouted south of downtown Rochester, the Rochester
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over some redevelopment plans. While Filling-In believes both plans have virtues, they both have numerous weaknesses as well. Because we are unassociated with any of the plans currently in play, and will believe they are built when we see it, the plans presented here will assume they did not happen, and instead will show a different vision of Charlotte’s future.![The control room of the Hojack Swing Bridge has been recreated at the NY Museum of Transportation. [PHOTO: Flickr, M J M]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/hojack-swing-bridge-mjm.jpg)
![On this date five years ago today, the Popeyes chicken chain in Rochester NY made national headlines when it ran out of its featured product. [PHOTO: TripAdvisor.com]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/popeyes-runs-out-of-chicken-01.jpg)
![New rendering of Midtown Tower, Rochester NY. [IMAGE PROVIDED BY: Buckingham Properties]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-midtown-tower-revised-rendering-01.jpg)
![Rochester Clean Sweep 2014 will be May 3. [PHOTO: City Hall Photo Lab]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-clean-sweep-01.jpg)
![Rochester faces off against Detroit today in Streetsblog's Parking Madness tourney. [IMAGE: usa.streetsblog.org]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/parking_madness_2014_11.jpg)
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