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Posts Tagged ‘Main Street’...
Wednesday, June 5th, 2013
![The Lincoln First Tower, now called Chase Tower was completed in the summer of 1972 at a cost of $20 million. It is 398 feet tall. [Looking North. Stone St. is on the left, and Broad St. on the bottom]](http://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-chase-tower-04.jpg)
The following is a guest post submitted by Jimmy Combs.
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In 1970 a Lincoln Rochester Trust Co. advertisement in the Daily Record hailed, “Lincoln Tower… a tangible expression of our belief in the growth of Upstate New York… Through 1970 and beyond.”
The Lincoln First Tower, now called Chase Tower was completed in the summer of 1972 at a cost of $20 million. It is 398 feet tall. It contains about 356,000 square feet of office space. It is a big building. Just like the Xerox Tower, Chase Tower has roots in Seattle. John Graham and Company is an architecture firm based in Seattle…
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Wednesday, June 5th, 2013
Tags: 4th Ward Theater District, Chase Tower, Clinton Avenue, Clinton Square, Colonial Theatre, Daily Record, Genesee Crossroads South Urban Renewal Project, John Graham, John Graham and Company, Lincoln Alliance Building, Lincoln First Tower, Lincoln Rochester Trust Co., Lyceum Theatre, Main Street, Midtown Plaza, Seattle, Sibley's Department Store, Space Needle, Temple Theatre, Victoria Theatre, Xerox Square, Xerox Tower Posted in Reader Submitted Stories, Rochester History, Rochester Images, Urban Development | 12 Comments »
Friday, May 10th, 2013
![Filming of Spider Man 2 in Rochester, NY. [PHOTO: RochesterSubway.com]](http://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/spider-man-rochester-ny-01.jpg)
Hey kids, you know what today is? That’s right, Fun Foto Friday! I know you’ve probably had your fill of spandex-wrapped web-slingers, street closures, and NYC squad cars blowing up everywhere. But I just wanted to post some of my pics from the last couple days of Spider-Man filming. And I’d like to see yours too. If you were able to slip past the barricades and snag a few good shots, go ahead and post a link in the comments section…
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Friday, May 10th, 2013
Tags: Amazing Spider Man 2, car chase, downtown Rochester, film, Hollywood, Main Street, movie, NYPD, Rochester, Rochester NY, Spider Man Posted in Events, Opinion, Rochester Images, Rochester News | 4 Comments »
Thursday, May 9th, 2013
![The Hilton hotel chain is strongly considering adapting this five-story former National Clothing Store on Main Street into a Hilton Garden Inn. [PHOTO: Rochester Public Library]](http://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/national-clothing-store-rochester-2013.jpg)
A recent story in the Rochester Business Journal had me pleasantly surprised to learn that the Hilton hotel chain is strongly considering adapting a five-story former clothing store at 155 E. Main Street into a Hilton Garden Inn. Around the corner at 25 Stone Street , a smaller two-story building (formerly the Stone Street Grill) would also be part of the 15 million dollar plan.
Normally I don’t get all revved up for national chains, but there are at least two REALLY good things happening here: Private interest/investment in Main Street (good), AND adaptive reuse of three or four old buildings (REALLY GOOD).
I also learned something very interesting about these buildings. What’s old may be new again…
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Thursday, May 9th, 2013
Tags: adaptive reuse, Burpee Seed Company, DHD Ventures LLC, downtown Rochester, Hilton Garden Inn, Hilton Hotel, Hotel Eggleston, James Vick, James Vick's Sons seed company, Main Street, National Clothing Store, Rochester, Rochester NY, Stone Street, Thomas Masaschi, Vick Quality Seeds Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images, Rochester News, Urban Development | 14 Comments »
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…
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Wednesday, March 13th, 2013
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 »
Friday, January 11th, 2013
![View of Main Street, Rochester, NY. c.1908. [PHOTO: Detroit Publishing Co. via Library of Congress]](http://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/hotel-rochester-main-street-1908-small.jpg)
Here’s one heck of a photo – Rochester’s Main Street around the turn of the last century. It was snapped from a fire escape at 102 W. Main, near the corner of N. Plymouth Avenue, looking east. Make sure you click on the image and zoom all the way in for all the incredible detail. Across the street you’ll notice some pretty major landmarks. The most obvious one being Hotel Rochester on the far right…
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Friday, January 11th, 2013
Tags: C.B. Woodworth, Detroit Publishing Co., downtown Rochester, Henry Searle, history of Rochester, Hotel Rochester, Main Street, National Theater, old photos of Rochester, old photos of Rochester NY, Plymouth Theatre, Rochester, Rochester history, Rochester NY, Rochester Savings Bank Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images | 16 Comments »
Wednesday, December 19th, 2012
![Two little girls have a chat with Santa in front of the Duffy-Powers Department Store on the corner of W. Main and Fitzhugh Streets, Rochester, NY. Printed in Rochester Herald, December 24, 1914. [PHOTO: Albert R. Stone collection]](http://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-duffy-mcinnerney-santa.jpg)
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…
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Wednesday, December 19th, 2012
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 | 4 Comments »
Tuesday, December 4th, 2012
![The McCurdy & Norwell Company department store was located at 285-291 Main Street East, at the corner of Elm Street. The display windows are crowded with goods. The store occupied several attached buildings of various heights and styles. c.1901-1913 [PHOTO: Albert R. Stone Collection]](http://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-mccurdy-department-store-windows-02.jpg)
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…
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Tuesday, December 4th, 2012
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 | No Comments »
Saturday, December 1st, 2012
![An exterior view of Sibley's as seen at nighttime and decorated for Christmas. 1939. [PHOTO: Rochester Public Library]](http://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-sibley-department-store-windows-02.jpg)
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…
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Saturday, December 1st, 2012
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, Osborne 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 | 6 Comments »
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…
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Thursday, November 1st, 2012
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 »
Friday, October 5th, 2012
![This was the Sibley Building office, and murder scene, of J. Frank O'Connor, a tailor merchant. A sewing machine and its table have been knocked over and lie in front of the radiator. The cutting table is at the right. A lower table, on the left, holds a bolt of fabric, a pressing board for sleeves, and an electric iron. A chair and a box of material sit in front of the lower table. [PHOTO: Albert R. Stone Collection]](http://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/sibley-murder-scene-3.jpg)
J. Frank O’Connor, known by his clients and friends as “Scrappy” O’Connor, was a merchant tailor. After a long weekend of partying, he would be murdered during a drunken battle in his office (shown above) on the second floor of Rochester’s Sibley Building. O’Connor’s body was found about 6:00 p.m., Monday, August 28, 1922. These are actual crime scene photos by Albert R. Stone…
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Friday, October 5th, 2012
Tags: Albert R. Stone, Browncroft, downtown Rochester, Grace M. Begy, J. Frank O'Connor, Main Street, Owen DeWitt, prohibition, prohibition saloon, Rochester, Rochester NY, Sibley Building, speakeasy, Stillson Street Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images | 9 Comments »
Friday, September 28th, 2012
![Main Street Rochester. c.1908 [PHOTO: Albert R. Stone Collection]](http://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-main-street-then-and-now-1.jpg)
The image above was printed in the Rochester Herald on October 10, 1908. This was Main Street looking east from the Four Corners on a busy day in October. The sidewalks are thronged with pedestrians. Several traffic police are standing at various spots in the intersection. A cluster of westbound trolleys, one labeled “Plymouth” and the other “Saratoga”, have stopped in their tracks. A few people are waiting to board, and others are crossing the street in front of the stopped cars. Several wagons, some covered, are traveling along the street. But then the trolley tracks were ripped up…
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Friday, September 28th, 2012
Tags: Main Street, old photos of Rochester, Rochester, Rochester history, Rochester NY, vintage postcard, vintage views Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images, Transit + Infrastructure, Urban Development | 70 Comments »
Friday, September 21st, 2012
![This was the corner of Main and Fitzhugh Streets (1884). Can you find Cogswell? [PHOTO: Rochester Public Library]](http://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-savings-bank-cogswell.jpg)
Often times while I’m doing research for a story, I’ll stumble upon something new and get completely sidetracked. Today I was digging for information on the Academy Building when I found the image above. It’s a shot of the Rochester Savings Bank building located at the corner of West Main and Fitzhugh. The Academy Building is to the immediate left of the bank. But forget the buildings for now. Do you see that strange little man standing in the lower left corner of the photo? That was actually a drinking fountain named Cogswell…
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Friday, September 21st, 2012
Tags: Academy Building, Cogswell Fountain, downtown Rochester, Dr. Henry D. Cogswell, Fitzhugh Street, fountain, Main Street, old photos of Rochester, Powers Hotel, prohibition, public art, Rochester, Rochester history, Rochester NY, Rochester Savings Bank, sculpture, St. Luke's Church, statue, temperance movement, Women's Christian Temperance Union Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images | 5 Comments »
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…
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Saturday, September 15th, 2012
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 »
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.
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Wednesday, July 18th, 2012
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 »
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…
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Monday, June 25th, 2012
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 »
Tuesday, April 3rd, 2012

All the controversy over whether or not to demolish the 120 year-old brewhouse at 13 Cataract Street got us thinking. Those in favor of demolishing the building say it’s an eyesore and a haven for drug dealers; even prostitutes. So, just remove the building and our problems go away.
Right?
But if we demolished every eyesore in Rochester, would we have solved all the City’s problems? Or might we end up tossing the proverbial “baby” out with the bath water? For the next two weeks we’ll take a look at some local eyesores …or rather, opportunities, nearly lost.
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Tuesday, April 3rd, 2012
Tags: adaptive reuse, Eagle Hotel and Tavern, Four Corners, From Eyesore to Opportunity, Hamlet Scrantom, Main Street, Main Street Four Corners, Powers Banking House, Powers Building, Rochester, Rochester NY, State Street, Value Properties Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images, Urban Development | 4 Comments »
Sunday, March 13th, 2011

Greetings from Rochester! Lately you may have noticed lots of old images stuck to the sides of the buildings downtown. The images are actually larger reproductions of old postcards—some a century old—and they pay homage to the gorgeous buildings that once lined Rochester’s streets. For the past two years I’ve been collecting a lot of these same vintage postcards. I like to say “vintage” instead of “old” because most of them are new to me – plus I can’t imagine these incredible images ever getting old in the other sense of the word.
Well, I finally did it. It was a monumental task but now you can flip thru my entire collection of vintage Rochester postcard images right from your computer. All 178 views – scanned, uploaded, and labeled for your viewing pleasure…
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Sunday, March 13th, 2011
Tags: Erie Canal Aqueduct, Flickr, Four Corners, Genesee Aqueduct, Genesee River, history of Rochester, Main Street, old photos of Rochester, Ontario Beach, Rochester, Rochester history, rochester images, Rochester Trust & Safe Deposit Company, vintage postcard, vintage views Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images | 3 Comments »
Saturday, February 26th, 2011

On February 26, 1904 a fire leveled 1¾ acres of the Main Street shopping district. The fire started in the Rochester Dry Goods Company and the flames quickly spread west to Saint Paul Street and north across Division Street via a footbridge. Faulty electrical wires in an elevator shaft were to blame. More photos after the jump…
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Saturday, February 26th, 2011
Tags: Granite Building, history of Rochester, Main Street, Rochester, Rochester fire, Rochester history, Saint Paul Street, Sibley Fire, Sibley's, Sibly Lindsay & Curr Co., this date in Rochester history Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images | 3 Comments »
Saturday, November 6th, 2010
Lots of news has been brewing lately over the future of Rochester’s beat-up, 32-year-old Amtrak station on Central Avenue. Congresswoman Louise Slaughter recently announced that a $1.5 million federal stimulus grant has been awarded to New York state to plan for a new multi-modal station on the site. A $2.5 million appropriation to pay for the station design is expected to pass Congress next month. And Governor-elect Andrew Cuomo has just made it abundantly clear that New York will take whatever federal money is left on the table by newly elected GOP governors in Ohio and Wisconsin.
So for now, let’s just assume that something very interesting is in the works for our pitiful excuse for a train station. This is the perfect time to take a step back in time—to be inspired by Rochester’s grand old stations…
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Saturday, November 6th, 2010
Tags: Auburn Railroad Shed, Bragdon Station, Broad Street, Buffalo Rochester & Pittsburgh Railroad, Claude Bragdon, Clinton Avenue, Court Street, Erie Railroad, Eugene Sintzenich, Exchange Street, High Falls, history of Rochester, Lehigh Valley Railroad, Main Street, New York, New York Central Railroad, old photos, old photos of Rochester, railroad, railroad station, Rochester, Rochester Amtrak Station, Rochester history, Rochester NY, Saint Paul Street, vintage postcard, vintage views Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images, Train/Railroad Stuff | 12 Comments »
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…
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Saturday, July 31st, 2010
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 »
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