![The City recently painted over this mural, a fixture in Manhattan Square Park for probably 30 years. [PHOTO: Kristen Cavanaugh]](http://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/manhattan-square-park-mural.jpg)
I haven’t been able to find anyone who knows exactly when this mural was painted, but it’s been a fixture in Manhattan Square Park 
for at least 30 years, says Charles Moreland, Executive Director of Rochester Parkour . The outdoor venue has been mostly abandoned for the past 10 years, but its concrete walls and irregular geometry make it ideal for practicing the fine art of Parkour. Charles’ group can often be found moving throughout the park. Yesterday Charles noticed the mural had been covered with a fresh coat of gray paint…
Posts Tagged ‘City of Rochester’...
Manhattan Square Park Mural Erased
Tuesday, May 14th, 2013Tags: art, Charles Moreland, Chestnut Street, City of Rochester, downtown Rochester, Fringe Festival, Gay Alliance, Graffiti, Ian Wilson, Manhattan Square Park, mural, Roc Pride Festival, Rochester, Rochester NY, Rochester Parkour, Wall-Therapy
Posted in Art + Culture, Events, Rochester Destinations, Rochester Images, Rochester News, Urban Development | 16 Comments »
City Homeowner Fights to Keep Her Home
Friday, February 22nd, 2013![Mary Smith is fighting to keep her home of 30 years. [PHOTO: Julie Gelfand]](http://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/mary-smith-take-back-the-land-rochester-01.jpg)
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…
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 »
The First Snapshot of Rochester’s Buildings of Historic Value
Thursday, January 24th, 2013![A map of Rochester's Buildings of Historic Value [Thanks to: Jim Fraser and Joseph Becker]](http://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-designated-buildings-of-historic-value-map-01.jpg)
Scientists have known of the existence of DNA for over fifty years. But until recently , no one had ever seen a photograph of that tricky little double-helix. For the preservation community in Rochester, the image above could be just as big of a breakthrough as photographing DNA for the first time. We had a fuzzy idea of their existence, but until today no one had ever seen a map of the city’s Designated Buildings of Historic Value (DBHV). And I mean NO ONE. Not even the people who put the list together…
Tags: Bret Garwood, City of Rochester, Designated Building of Historic Value, Designated Buildings of Historic Value List, Jim Fraser, Joseph Becker, Landmark Society of Western New York, map, map of Rochester landmarks, Rochester history, Wayne Goodman
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester News, Urban Development | 10 Comments »
Susan B. Anthony Asks for Your Help to Save Church
Thursday, November 1st, 2012
About a month ago, someone set up a petition in opposition to a plan to demolish 660 West Main Street (formerly Westminster Presbyterian Church) and to prevent the building of a Dollar General in its place. The owner of the petition is using “Susan B. Anthony” as an alias. And this week “Susan B. Anthony” sent me a plea for help via email…
Tags: 660 W. Main Street, church, City of Rochester, Dawn Noto, demolition, Designated Building of Historic Value, Dollar General, Main Street, Marvin Maye, petition, Rochester, Rochester NY, Susan B. Anthony Neighborhood, Westminster Presbyterian Church, zoning
Posted in Events, Rochester News, Urban Development | 15 Comments »
Battle Over Main Street Church Heating Up
Saturday, September 15th, 2012
RochesterSubway.com has learned that Marvin Maye, owner of 660 W. Main Street, is making a renewed push to demolish the historic church. And one local theatre group has expressed interest in saving the building…
Tags: 660 W. Main Street, Bread & Water Theatre, church, City of Rochester, Dawn Noto, demolition, Designated Building of Historic Value, Dollar General, J.R. Teeter, Main Street, Marvin Maye, New York State Historic Preservation Office, Rochester, Rochester NY, Susan B. Anthony Neighborhood, Westminster Presbyterian Church, zoning
Posted in Rochester News, Urban Development | 2 Comments »
Susan B. Anthony Neighbors Unite to Save Old Main Street Church
Wednesday, July 18th, 2012
Dawn Noto, President of the Susan B. Anthony Neighborhood Association says this section of the city is in the early stages of a renaissance. But the turn around of West Main and the Susan B. Anthony neighborhood isn’t happening by accident. Years of planning, community involvement, public and private investment, and careful preservation of valuable historic assets have been key factors. Noto knows this progress is fragile. That with one short sighted development decision, years of work could begin to unravel.
Tags: 660 W. Main Street, Bret Garwood, Caitlin Meives, City of Rochester, Dawn Noto, demolition, Dollar General, Landmark Society of Western New York, Main Street, Marvin Maye, Rochester, Rochester NY, Susan B. Anthony Neighborhood, Westminster Presbyterian Church, zoning
Posted in Rochester News, Urban Development | 5 Comments »
Preservation v. Progress: Rematch on Main Street
Monday, June 25th, 2012
The church shown above sits vacant at 660 W. Main Street . It’s on the City’s list of historic buildings and potentially eligible for the National or State Register of Historic Places. Unfortunately the building’s owner is itching to demolish it… to clear the way for a new Dollar General store…
Tags: 660 W. Main Street, City of Rochester, demolition, Dollar General, Main Street, Rochester, Rochester NY, Susan B. Anthony Neighborhood, Westminster Presbyterian Church, zoning
Posted in Rochester Images, Rochester News, Urban Development | 8 Comments »
St. Paul, South and Clinton Avenues Could Soon Go Two Ways
Thursday, August 11th, 2011
The City of Rochester has contracted with Laberge Group of Albany, New York to determine the feasibility of converting the one-way street couplets of St. Paul Street/South Avenue and North/South Clinton Avenue between Byron Street and Cumberland Street to two-way traffic to improve neighborhood accessibility and walkability. Key considerations are expected to include impacts to traffic congestion, safety, parking, bicyclists, pedestrians, transit, and service provision.
Tags: City of Rochester, Clinton Avenue, downtown Rochester, Genesee Transportation Council (GTC), Laberge Group, Monroe County Department of Transportation (MCDOT), NYSDOT, Rochester, Rochester Downtown Development Corporation, Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority (RGRTA), Rochester NY, Saint Paul Quarter, Saint Paul Street, South Avenue, South Wedge, traffic conversion study, Washington Square
Posted in Rochester Subway, Transit + Infrastructure | 2 Comments »
New Circulator Will Try to Connect the Dots for Downtown Rochester
Sunday, March 20th, 2011![The Circulator bus in Washington D.C. [PHOTO: afagen's Flickr Stream]](http://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/washington-circulator.jpg)
The City of Rochester has been busy busy busy. Last week we took a look at our new Bike Master Plan. This week we’ll get a chance to review and ask questions about the proposed Center City Circulator. What? You have no idea what a “circulator” is? No worries. Watch the video clip below and learn about Washington D.C.’s new-ish circulator system with Gabe Klein, Director of Washington D.C.’s Department of Transportation (DDOT).
Tags: Center City Circulator Study, circulator, City of Rochester, commuter survey, Erik Frisch, public input, public meeting, Rochester, Rochester NY, RTS, shuttle bus, streetcar, transit, transportation, Washington D.C.
Posted in Events, Rochester News, Transit + Infrastructure, Video | 4 Comments »
72 Conkey: The Tide May Be Turning
Thursday, November 4th, 2010
I can’t put my finger on it but for some reason this little building in an all-but-forgotten part of our city has claimed a big spot in my heart. Maybe because it’s human nature to root for the underdog? Maybe I see the story of Rochester being played out as some sort of metaphor—it’s storied past and it’s uncertain future? And so we fight—with everything we’ve got—to turn the tide.
Tags: Bret Garwood, City of Rochester, Clifford Avenue, Conkey Avenue, Jim Fraser, Jo Dickinson, Rochester, Rochester Fire Department, Rochester NY, urban renewal, urban revitalization
Posted in Rochester News, Urban Development | No Comments »
See What’s Possible at 72 Conkey
Sunday, October 24th, 2010![With a little help from Photoshop, I've taken a shot at illustrating how the storefront at 72 Conkey Avenue could look if the City gave local resident Jim Fraser a chance to apply his skills and vision to the property. [Illustration: Mike Governale]](http://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/72-conkey-avenue-after-cropped.jpg)
As an artist, I think I maybe I see things in the world around me that other people can’t or just don’t want to. I find myself squinting all the time; trying to imagine what could be. I can’t look at a paper cup without imagining what it might become if Jonathan Ive had his way with it. I know there are a lot of people who probably see 72 Conkey Avenue as nothing more than an eyesore; and then there are people like me who see something different. And that boys and girls, is why there’s Photoshop…
Tags: Bill Johnson, Bret Garwood, City of Rochester, Clifford Avenue, Conkey Avenue, Evergreen Street, Genesee Land Trust, Ibero, Jim Fraser, Jo Dickinson, photo, Photoshop, Project Hope, Rochester, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), Rochester NY, urban renewal, urban revitalization
Posted in Rochester News, Urban Development | 5 Comments »
Help Save 72 Conkey — Part III
Thursday, October 21st, 2010
Yesterday the little boarded up Victorian house on Conkey Avenue caught the attention of Rachel Barnhart, reporter for WHAM 13 News. And for all of my ranting and raving on this site, I could never have told the story as eloquently as she…
Tags: Bret Garwood, City of Rochester, Clifford Avenue, Conkey Avenue, Evergreen Street, Ibero, Jim Fraser, Jo Dickinson, Project Hope, Rachel Barnhart, Rochester, Rochester NY, urban renewal, urban revitalization, WHAM
Posted in Rochester News, Urban Development, Video | No Comments »
Help Save 72 Conkey — Part II
Tuesday, October 19th, 2010![The Rochester Fire Dept. put these gaping holes in the roof of 72 Conkey 5 days after RochesterSubway.com readers emailed the City asking to please save this historic building. [PHOTO: Jim Fraser]](http://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/72-conkey-avenue-demolition.jpg)
If you responded to my plea last week and sent an email to Bret Garwood asking him to stop the demolition of 72 Conkey Avenue, I offer you my sincerest appreciation. As “coincidence” would have it, less than a week after that post on RochesterSubway.com the City Fire Department used the 1879 Victorian building to hold a training session. The photo above was taken on October 18. Now there are great big gaping holes where there was once a roof.
Is this really happening? I know Mr. Garwood received dozens of emails from RocSubway readers, members of Reconnect Rochester, and myself. I can’t help but ask myself is this act in response to those letters? Is the City reading our letters and giggling to themselves? Come to think of it, I didn’t receive a response to the email I sent last week… did you?
Tags: 19th Ward, Bret Garwood, City of Rochester, Clifford Avenue, Conkey Avenue, Evergreen Street, Genesee Land Trust, Genesee Street, Ibero, Jim Fraser, Jo Dickinson, Project Hope, Rochester, Rochester Fire Department, Rochester Jewish Orphan Asylum, Rochester NY, urban renewal, urban revitalization
Posted in Rochester News, Urban Development | 4 Comments »
You Can Help Save 72 Conkey Avenue
Wednesday, October 13th, 2010![Jim and Jo are in the process of saving and restoring 6 abandoned Rochester properties. They want to save this storefront on Conkey and Clifford Avenue. The City wants to tear it down. You can help. [PHOTO: heckeranddecker.wordpress.com]](http://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/72-conkey-avenue.jpg)
Jo and Jim are quite a remarkable pair. She is a retired school teacher. He works for a company that makes all kinds of machine parts, gauges, and valves. Together they represent nothing short of divine intervention for the City of Rochester.
See, Rochester has a ‘list’. On that list are 200 properties, residential and commercial, that have been given the death sentence. These buildings are on the City’s Demolition List
Tags: Bret Garwood, City of Rochester, Clifford Avenue, Conkey Avenue, Evergreen Street, Genesee Land Trust, Ibero, Jim Fraser, Jo Dickinson, Project Hope, Rochester, Rochester NY, urban renewal, urban revitalization
Posted in Rochester News, Urban Development | 14 Comments »
Summer Subway FREEBIES! Free Rochester Wallpapers
Saturday, July 31st, 2010
I’ve never shared this with anyone before… but I have a disorder. I’m an excessive wallpaper changer. I’m in therapy (and doing a little self-medicating) but still, I have a hard time keeping one background graphic on my computer desktop for more than a day or two (at most). Maybe I have ADHD? Or maybe I just need a life. I CAN’T HELP IT! I just get bored staring at the same image for too long. I tear through so many wallpapers I’ve had to start making my own…
Tags: abandoned subway, abandoned subway tunnel, abandoned tunnel, City of Rochester, desktop backgrounds, desktop wallpaper, downtown Rochester, Erie Canal Aqueduct, free stuff, Freebies, Genesee Aqueduct, Genesee River, Graffiti, history of Rochester, Main Street, New York, NY, old photos, old photos of Rochester, pc wallpaper, photo, photography, Rochester, Rochester history, rochester images, Rochester NY, Rochester panorama, rochester photos, Rochester Subway, subway tunnel, trolley, vintage postcard, vintage views
Posted in Freebies, Rochester Images | 11 Comments »
Rochester Finally Shows Up
Monday, March 22nd, 2010
If you were at the Circulator Study Public Meeting tonight, THANK YOU! Turn out was good. It could’ve been even better… but there were plenty of people there asking questions and giving input and the room had a constant buzz. Even the media thought enough to make an appearance. There will be another public meeting in June/July to share the preliminary findings of the study so stay tuned and continue to share this story with friends and neighbors. We’ll need even more of you at the next meeting.
Tags: bike lanes, bike racks, Center City Circulator Study, City of Rochester, commuter survey, Erik Frisch, Inner Loop, public input, public meeting, Rochester, Rochester NY, RTS, shuttle bus, streetcar, transit, transportation
Posted in Events, Rochester News, Transit + Infrastructure | 4 Comments »
Monday 3/22 4-6pm… Let’s Show Up Rochester!
Friday, March 19th, 2010
The City has partnered with C&S Companies to analyze and make recommendations to enhance commuting, circulation, and parking in Downtown Rochester. Among the potential enhancements under consideration is a circulator transit service—a.k.a shuttle buses or streetcars. Listen carefully Rochester…
Tags: Center City Circulator Study, Center for Transportation Excellence, City of Rochester, EZ Rider, public meeting, Rochester, Rochester NY, shuttle bus, streetcar, transit, transportation
Posted in Events, Rochester News, Transit + Infrastructure | 2 Comments »
Your Chance to Voice Your Support for a Streetcar Loop
Tuesday, March 9th, 2010
Do you work downtown? The City of Rochester wants downtown workers to take their “commuting” survey
Although the survey only mentions RTS Buses and Shuttle Buses as options for mass transit commuters, there is a comment box on the very last page. This is your opportunity to voice support for a downtown streetcar circulator. We want the City to give strong consideration to the impact that a streetcar line could have on economic development in Rochester. A shuttle bus is a nice idea but will have the same effect. So be sure to leave a comment in that final box!
Read Rochester’s Case for a Streetcar Line, then PLEASE take the survey
Tags: Center City Circulator Study, City of Rochester, commuter survey, New York, Rochester, Rochester NY, Rochester Streetcar, shuttle bus, survey
Posted in Events, Transit + Infrastructure | No Comments »
Powers Building & Four Corners, 1904
Sunday, January 31st, 2010
We found this old photo of the Powers Building and Rochester’s four corners recently on a vintage photos website called Shorpy.com
Hey, here’s a bit of fun for you… we hid the RochesterSubway.com logo somewhere in the photo. Let’s see which one of you can find it first. And while you’re searching for our hidden logo, here are a few other things you should take notice of…
Tags: architecture, Ashley & Loewenguth, City of Rochester, downtown Rochester, Fidelity Trust, Four Corners, Grand-Union, intersection, Main Street, New York, NY, old photos, old photos of Rochester, Phoenix Mutual Life, Powers Building, Powers Hotel, Rochester, Rochester and Eastern Rapid Railroad, Rochester and Sodus Bay Railway, Rochester history, Rochester NY, Rochester Trust & Safe Deposit Company, Shorpy.com, State Street, trolley, vintage views
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images, Transit + Infrastructure | 9 Comments »
The Rochester Public Market to Get More Parking and a Shuttle
Saturday, December 19th, 2009
My family has a Saturday morning tradition. We all grab our eco-friendly shopping bags and pile into our not-so-eco-friendly family car. But that’s alright. Even if my car is a clunker I usually feel a lot better about myself after a trip to the Rochester Public Market. I can’t explain it—this place just makes me feel good. So how do you improve on a good thing?
I recently heard a rumor that the cool people down at Rochester’s very cool Public Market were considering buying a trolley. Yup, that’d be an improvement! Is the rumor true? I asked James Farr, Assistant Director of Recreation for the City of Rochester.
Tags: City of Rochester, CSX, Friends of the Market, James Farr, Juan & Maria's Empanada Stop, Marketview Heights, New York, NY, railroad, Rochester, Rochester NY, Rochester Public Market, Rochester Regional Community Design Center, RRCDC, things to do in Rochester, tram, trolley, Union Street, urban planning, urban revitalization
Posted in Interviews, Rochester Destinations, Rochester News, Urban Development | 2 Comments »
Rochester Business News
