![The Babcocks, an American family. Rochester, NY. March, 1943. [PHOTO: Library of Congress]](http://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/babcock-family-rochester-ny-portrait.jpg)
Yesterday, the archival photo blog, Shorpy 
, shared a great photo of the Babcock family from Rochester NY. The image is one of a collection of 38 photographs by Ralph Amdursky for the U.S. Office of War Information. The series shows how the Babcocks, a “typical American war worker’s family,” lived in 1943 during the height of WWII…
Posts Tagged ‘old photos’...
Meet the Babcocks: A Typical American War Worker’s Family
Sunday, January 27th, 2013Tags: Babcock, Babcock family, history of Rochester, Library of Congress, old photos, old photos of Rochester, old photos of Rochester NY, Rochester history, Shorpy.com, U.S. Office of War Information, World War II, WWII
Posted in Art + Culture, Rochester History, Rochester Images | 7 Comments »
Proof, Santa Is Real
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…
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 »
Today, December 11, in Rochester History: A Strange Sidewalk Accident
Tuesday, December 11th, 2012![These men are standing around a hole in the sidewalk where John Hornby and James Kenney fell through on December 11, 1901. In the background is the Clemson Hotel, with Charles R. Holliger, proprietor, at 52 South Avenue. [PHOTO: Rochester Municipal Archives]](http://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-sidewalk-accident-01.jpg)
On December 11, 1901 this section of sidewalk on South Avenue played a cruel practical joke…
Tags: accident, China, James Kenny, John Hornby, old photos, old photos of Rochester, Rochester, Rochester history, Rochester NY, Saint Paul Street, sidewalk accident, sidewalks, South Avenue, this date in Rochester history, Woonsocket RI
Posted in Rochester History, Transit + Infrastructure | 6 Comments »
B. Forman Co.
Wednesday, December 5th, 2012![A view of the the fac̨ade of the B. Forman Co. store at 46-50 Clinton Avenue South. Christmas decorations are visible. c.1930. [PHOTO: Rochester Public Library]](http://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-b-forman-department-store-02.jpg)
For the past few days we’ve been doing some holiday window shopping at the old Sibley’s and McCurdy’s department stores. “But, WAIT! What about B. Forman’s?…” you say? Well, I searched around a bit, and though I wasn’t able to find many photos of window displays from B. Forman Co., fear not… I’ve got something you might like. Newspaper ads from December 18 – December 25, 1929! Don’t say I never gave you anything…
Tags: ad, B. Foreman Co. Department Store, Christmas, Clinton Ave, Clinton Avenue, Democrat & Chronicle, Democrat and Chronicle, downtown Rochester, holidays, McCurdy & Co., old photos, old photos of Rochester, old photos of Rochester NY, Rochester, Rochester history, Rochester NY, Sibly Lindsay & Curr Co.
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images | 4 Comments »
Window Shopping at McCurdy & Co.
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…
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 »
Window Shopping at Sibley, Lindsay & Curr Co.
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…
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 »
The Life and (Explosive) Death of Rochester’s Driving Park Bridge
Monday, November 19th, 2012
Last week we explored some of the caves in Rochester’s Genesee River gorge. While digging around for information about Lower Falls, I came across some great stuff on the nearby Driving Park Bridge. The bridge that you know today was built in 1989. But the previous bridge (shown above) had been there for nearly 100 years. That’s pretty remarkable when you consider its length of 717 feet, the icy Rochester weather, and the relentless spray from the Lower Falls below. Be sure to click on the image above for a much larger view. And check out the link at the end of this article to watch the explosive demolition of the old steel bridge in the 1980′s…
Tags: Avenue E, bridge, demolition, Driving Park Bridge, Genesee River, Genesee River Gorge, infrastructure, Lefferts L. Buck, Lower Falls, Niagara Falls Bridge, old photos, old photos of Rochester, Rochester, Rochester NY, Williamsburg Bridge
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images, Transit + Infrastructure | 6 Comments »
Left for Dead: Rochester’s Union Depot
Friday, November 9th, 2012![Rochester's NY Central (Bragdon) Station half demolished, c.1970? [PHOTO VIA: John R. Stewart]](http://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-bragdon-station-demolition-1.jpg)
I know I keep coming back to this over and over and over again. But I just can’t believe we intentionally reduced this once world-class rail station to rubble only so we could pay tens of millions 50 years later in an attempt to build a much smaller and less impressive imitation of what we once had.
I’m not going to say much more about it. I just wanted to share these recently found photos of Rochester’s half-demolished NY Central (Bragdon) Station. Like a decapitated, rotting corpse left to rot in public as a reminder of a brutal ‘auto’cracy. Apparently the building sat like this for about five years before it was finally removed altogether and replaced with the current Amtrak building in the early 70′s. Oy, how painful…
Tags: Amtrak Station, architecture, Bragdon Station, Central Avenue, Claude Bragdon, demolition, downtown Rochester, history of Rochester, Joseph Avenue, New York Central Railroad, North Clinton Avenue, NY Central Station, old photos, railroad, Rochester, Rochester history, Rochester NY, Union Station
Posted in Rochester History, Train/Railroad Stuff, Transit + Infrastructure, Urban Development | 9 Comments »
State Takes Rochester Rail Station Project From City
Friday, October 26th, 2012![New York Central Railroad Station c.1905-1914 [PHOTO: Detroit Publishing via Library of Congress]](http://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-ny-central-railroad-station.jpg)
First, a little bit of history. The building shown above was one of Rochester’s earliest rail stations. Make sure you click to see all the great detail in the photo. It was located on Central Avenue between St. Paul & Clinton near the site of the current Amtrak Station. This view is looking west from Clinton Avenue, sometime between 1905-1914. In 1914 this station was replaced by the great Bragdon station in 1914, which was demolished in 1965…
Tags: downtown Rochester, New York Central Railroad, NYSDOT, old photos, old photos of Rochester, railroad station, Rochester, Rochester Amtrak Station, Rochester NY, rochester photos
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images, Rochester News, Train/Railroad Stuff, Transit + Infrastructure | 11 Comments »
Loew’s Theater: Rochester’s Other Lost Movie Palace
Thursday, October 11th, 2012![Loew's Rochester Theatre, Rochester. On the marquee: Greta Garbo, Charles Bickford, Maria Dressler in “Anna Christie” and on stage Barto and Mann, Harry Girard’s Ensemble, and A. Robbins. Photo by George Mann of the comedy dance team, Barto and Mann. April 26, 1930. [PHOTO: George Mann of the comedy dance team, Barto and Mann. Via Brad Smith's Flickr Stream]](http://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/loews-theater-rochester-01.jpg)
Earlier this week a collection of photos of Rochester’s RKO Palace Theater was discovered thanks to the Rochester Theater Organ Society. Mixed in with those RKO Palace photos were a few interior shots of Rochester’s other lost movie palace… Loew’s Theater. So I thought it only fair to shine the spotlight on this one too. Loew’s Theater also happened to be on Clinton Avenue, just four or five blocks south of the RKO. Xerox Tower now occupies the spot. Take a look…
Tags: downtown Rochester, Loew's Theater, old photos, old photos of Rochester, RKO Palace Theater, Rochester, Rochester history, Rochester NY, South Clinton Avenue, Washington Square, Xerox Tower
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images | 19 Comments »
Never Before Seen Photos of RKO Palace Theater
Sunday, October 7th, 2012![Rochester's RKO Palace Theater during demolition. 1964. [PHOTO: D.O. Schultz / Rochester Theater Organ Society]](http://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/RKO-Palace-013-AuditoriumNorthWall.jpg)
A few weeks after we discovered the RKO Palace Theater floor at the site of RGRTA’s future transit center, Russ Shaner, president of the Rochester Theater Organ Society contacted me. These were the guys who saved the old Wurlitzer pipe organ from the RKO Palace before the building was demolished. And as it turns out, one of their founding members, D.O. Schultz, captured a treasure trove of photographs and left them with the Organ Society before he moved to Florida years ago. Russ asked RochesterSubway.com for help, both archiving the photos, and sharing them with you, the public. Yesterday you saw part 1, and now, here is part 2 of this awesome collection…
Tags: Clinton Avenue, demolition, downtown Rochester, Mortimer Street, old photos, old photos of Rochester NY, RKO Palace Theater, Rochester, Rochester history, Rochester Theater Organ Society, Russ Shaner, Saint Paul Street
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images | 10 Comments »
Never Before Seen Photos of RKO Palace Theater
Sunday, October 7th, 2012![Rochester's RKO Palace Theater during WWII. Main entrance on Clinton Ave. 1942. [PHOTO: D.O. Schultz / Rochester Theater Organ Society]](http://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/RKO-Palace-001-ClintonAveEntrance1942.jpg)
A few weeks after we discovered the RKO Palace Theater floor at the site of RGRTA’s future transit center, Russ Shaner, president of the Rochester Theater Organ Society contacted me. These were the guys who saved the old Wurlitzer pipe organ from the RKO Palace before the building was demolished. And as it turns out, one of their founding members, D.O. Schultz, captured a treasure trove of photographs and left them with the Organ Society before he moved to Florida years ago. Russ asked RochesterSubway.com for help, both archiving the photos, and sharing them with you, the public. Below is part 1 of this awesome collection…
Tags: Clinton Ave, demolition, downtown Rochester, Loew's Theater, Mortimer Street, old photos, old photos of Rochester, RKO Palace Theater, Rochester, Rochester history, Rochester NY, Rochester Theater Organ Society, Russ Shaner, Saint Paul Street
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images | 21 Comments »
Today, September 14, in Rochester History: The Seneca Hotel Opens
Friday, September 14th, 2012![The Seneca Hotel, 26 S. Clinton Avenue, south of E. Main Street on the east side of the street. The stores in front, left to right, are Laurabelle's Greeting Cards, Ringclear Hosery Co., and Rochester Cleaning & Dyeing Co. [PHOTO: Rochester Municiple Archives]](http://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-seneca-hotel-front.jpg)
On September 14, 1908 a new 300 room hotel with ballroom, several dining rooms and meeting rooms opened its doors – right smack on the same spot where Windstream (Paetec) is constructing its new building today.
The following article was published in the New York Times on Monday September 14, 1908…
Tags: Albert R. Stone, B. Foreman Co. Department Store, Century Theatre, Clinton Ave, Clinton Avenue, Hearth and Embers Restaurant, Hotel Seneca, Lyceum Theatre, Main & Clinton, Manger Hotel, McCurdy's Department Store, Midtown Plaza, old photos, old photos of Rochester, Rochester, Rochester history, Rochester NY, Sibley's Department Store, South Clinton Avenue, Temple Theatre, this date in Rochester history, Wegman's
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images, Urban Development | 8 Comments »
Snapshots of Rochester’s Labor Days
Sunday, September 2nd, 2012![Six unidentified female railroad workers pose at Lincoln Park Station. The railroad line is the Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburgh Railway Company. In 1917-1918, many jobs traditionally held by men were filled by women, while the men served in the Armed Services in World War I. [PHOTO: Albert R. Stone Collection]](http://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-woman-railroad-workers-c1917.jpg)
“I believe when we’re born into this world we’re entrusted with certain things. Our grandparents trust that we’ll work hard to keep and maintain the world that they’ve broken themselves to build. And our children need us to preserve it, and leave it a little bit better than how we inherited it. Preservation is often difficult. But in many ways it’s all we have to keep us grounded; as a society and as people. Future generations need to know what came before them. What was it that made this city great? Who designed and built this place? Who worked here and why? If we destroy the evidence, we cut our children off from the answers forever; and impede our own ability to progress.”
These are words I live by. They’re also the reason I keep this web site. While my family and I are enjoying this sunny Labor Day weekend on the shores of Lake Ontario, I’ll take pause to think about why we have it so damn good in this time and place. For me, the answer can be found in the portraits that follow. These are some of the men, woman, and even children who labored to make the way of life we enjoy today…
Tags: Adler Bros., Bert Bitting, Buffalo Rochester & Pittsburgh Railroad, East Rochester, Eastman Kodak, Egypt Canning Co., Egypt NY, factory workers, Four Corners, Garment Workers Strike, Hanna's Dryhouse, Hilton NY, history of Rochester, Jerry Kellerer, Kodak, Labor Day, Main Street Four Corners, Merchants' Despatch Transportation Co., Michael Stern Building, old photos, old photos of Rochester, Rochester, Rochester Association of Workers for the Blind, Rochester Brewery Union Members, Rochester history, Rochester Industrial Exposition, Rochester Labor Day Parade, Rochester NY, Rochester Shoe Workers Union, Rochester water supply system, Silver Platers and Metal Polishers Union, strikebreaker, Womans Union Label League
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images | 6 Comments »
RGRTA Digs Up Rochester’s Old RKO Palace Theater
Thursday, August 23rd, 2012
There are few places Rochesterians talk about with such fondness as the old RKO Palace Theater that once stood on Clinton Avenue. Looking at old pictures, I can see why. The place was all dressed up and sparkled inside and out like a glitzy Vegas showgirl. But like many of Rochester’s brick and mortar beauties, she grew old, was chopped up into little pieces, and buried where she stood. All in the name of “urban renewal.” Fast forward fifty years. RGRTA breaks ground on a new bus terminal. And guess what shows up? That’s right – the skeleton of Rochester’s most beautiful movie theater…
Tags: bus terminal, Clinton Avenue, demolition, downtown Rochester, old movie theater, old photos, old photos of Rochester, old theater, Regional Transit Service (RTS), RKO Palace Theater, Rochester, Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority (RGRTA), rochester images, Rochester NY, Rochester Theater Organ Society, RTS Transit Terminal, Saint Paul Street, urban explorers, urban renewal
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images, Rochester News, Transit + Infrastructure, Urban Development | 32 Comments »
New Gallery Exhibit: Revisiting Rochester
Thursday, February 2nd, 2012![High Falls, c.1900 [IMAGE: Part of 'Revisiting Rochester' exhibit]](http://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/revisiting-rochester-high-falls.jpg)
A new exhibition celebrating Rochester’s heritage encourages us to honor and preserve our past as we seek to revive our city for the future. Beginning February 3, a collection of digitally-enhanced images of Rochester during the Progressive Era will be on display at Joe Bean Coffee Roasters [map ] throughout the entire month of February.
Tags: Joe Bean Coffee Roasters, Kind of the Hill, Mike Battle, old photos, old photos of Rochester, Rochester, rochester images, Rochester NY, The Simpsons, vintage views
Posted in Events, Rochester Destinations, Rochester Images, Rochester News | 5 Comments »
Today, August 25, in Rochester History: Railroad Disaster Claims 29; Injures 62
Monday, August 22nd, 2011![Scene of terrible disaster on Lehigh Valley Railroad near Rochester N.Y. on August 25, 1911. [PHOTO: A. Newman, Copyright 1911]](http://rochestersubway.com/images/photos/lehigh-valley-railroad-wreck-1.jpg)
One of the deadliest accidents* in our area’s history took place exactly 100 years ago today. 29 people were killed and 62 injured when a Lehigh Valley Railroad train derailed about 20 miles east of Rochester. According to investigators at the time, it was a defective rail on a 400 foot bridge in Manchester, NY that shattered into seventeen pieces and sent at least 3 of the cars into Canandaigua Outlet. Newspaper reports described the scene as a “twisted and splintered mass of wreckage.”
Tags: history of Rochester, Lehigh Valley Railroad, Manchester NY, old photos, old photos of Rochester, rail, rail crash, railroad, Rochester disaster, Rochester history, rochester images, Rochester NY, rochester photos, Shortsville NY, this date in Rochester history
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images, Train/Railroad Stuff | 15 Comments »
Rochester’s (inspiring) Old Railroad Stations
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
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…
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 »
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 »
Hey It’s Lilac Time in Lilac Town
Friday, May 14th, 2010
Stop everything… do you smell that? No sir, I showered yesterday so it’s not me. That lovely aroma you just caught a whiff of is coming from Highland Park. Oh yeeeyah, since 1898 Springtime in Rochester means more than just flowers. Flowers are for pansy-ass towns. Here in the R-O-C we do LILACS. So grab your old lady and your Kodak—we’re taking a trip to the early days of Rochester’s Lilac Festival…
Tags: Ellwanger & Barry Children's Pavilion, Frederick Law Olmstead, Highland Park, Highland Park Reservoir, Lilac Festival, Lilac Queen, lilacs, New York, old photos, old photos of Rochester, photo, Pinnacle Range, Rochester, Rochester NY, Trolley and Bus Passes, vintage postcard, vintage views
Posted in Events, Rochester History, Rochester Images | 5 Comments »
Rochester Business News
