![Old Federal Building (now City Hall). [PHOTO: Richard Margolis]](http://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-city-hall-richard-margolis.jpg)
“Listed in the National Register of Historic Places and designated a city landmark, the old Federal Building is considered a fine example of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture. No one’s particularly interested in using it, however, because inside it’s dark, gloomy, usually uncomfortable and just plain ramshackle. Blow it up. It’s an ugly thing…and not particularly interesting inside or out…It should be demolished. A modern, tax-producing building would be a better use for the site and would give more new life to that section of downtown…”
Posts Tagged ‘Rochester history’...
Rochester’s Old Federal Building Should Go
Wednesday, September 19th, 2012Tags: Church Street, demolition, Federal Building, Fitzhugh Street, Landmark Society of Western New York, National Register of Historic Places, preservation, preservation code, Richard Margolis, Richardsonian, Rick U., Rochester, Rochester City Hall, Rochester history, Rochester NY, Romanesque, State Street, Times-Union, zoning code
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images, Urban Development | 10 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 »
A Race Riot in Fairport?
Tuesday, July 24th, 2012
Today marks the 48th anniversary of Rochester’s 1964 “Race Riot” 
. While doing a little research on the 1964 riot I stumbled upon a completely different (and lesser known) incident. This one could also be called a “race riot” and it occurred 44 years earlier, on the streets of Fairport, NY.
Tags: civil rights, Deputy Clarke L. Burlingame, Deputy Sheriff George Brasser, Fairport, Fairport riot, Jack "Cutie" Kauffman, James Noey, Joseph Avenue, race in Rochester NY, riot, Rochester, Rochester history, Rochester NY, Rochester riot
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images | 8 Comments »
Off the Beaten Path: Rochester’s Beach Avenue
Monday, July 16th, 2012
With all of this amazing summer weather lately, I’ve taken the opportunity to enjoy some long bike rides up and down the lower Genesee River Gorge. A few nights ago I made my way all the way up to the beach at Charlotte via Lake Ave and took the bendy turn onto Beach Avenue. Not too far beyond the Ontario Beach Pavilion I noticed the sidewalk diverges from the street, making a rather abrupt turn between some very handsome looking beachside homes. So, I followed it. And I left the city of Rochester far, far behind…
Tags: architecture, Beach Avenue, Charlotte Beach, preservation district, Rochester, Rochester history, Rochester NY
Posted in Rochester Destinations, Rochester History, Rochester Images | 7 Comments »
Rochester, New York Jigsaw Puzzle
Tuesday, July 10th, 2012
I love collecting fun little bits of Rochester history. So a few years ago I bought this Rochester jigsaw puzzle on eBay. Well somehow it slipped behind my sofa and I just recently found it again. It’s like Christmas in July!
Entirely hand drawn, this 513 piece puzzle is jammed with local landmarks, businesses, and fun historic facts. Now I realize I’m a total geek-dork, but I could stare at this thing for days picking stuff out—it’s THAT much fun…
Tags: Cinema Theater, Col. Nathaniel Rochester, Colgate Divinity School, downtown Rochester, Eastman Theater, Ebenezer 'Indian' Allan, Frederick Douglass, George Eastman, German House, High Falls, Hiram Sibley, I-490, Irondequoit, Jonathan Child, Kodak Tower, Liberty Pole, Monroe High School, Punch's Nuts, Rochester, Rochester history, Rochester NY, Rochester Public Market, Sam Patch, Seneca Park Zoo, Silver Stadium, Susan B. Anthony, Toronto, WXXI
Posted in Rochester Destinations, Rochester History | 3 Comments »
1930′s Postcard Decoded
Thursday, October 20th, 2011
I’ve had this postcard in my collection for a few years now and it’s one of my favorites for a couple reasons. It’s late 1920′s (or early 30′s) and depicts the brand new (at the time) Broad Street and Rochester subway tunnel. The Rundel Library is not shown where it normally would be (to the right of Broad Street) because it hasn’t been built yet. But I also love this card because of the handwritten message on the back. It’s always been very mysterious to me — because it’s in German!
Rich Rolwing, a RochesterSubway.com reader, recently emailed me and very excitedly offered to translate the message. And so the mystery has finally been solved! Here it is, as written in 1938 from Karl (presumably visiting Rochester from Chicago)…
Dear Frank:
Thank you for your letter and also that letter from Foley. Noch immer nichts gehoert f.P. Vielleicht heute oder morgen. Lass dir dann gleich wissen. Waren gestern beim einen Park picnicen. Paul hat jetzt Vacation diese und naechste Woche. hat immer noch Halsweh. sonst alles schoen auch Beer.
Thank you for your letter and also that letter from Foley. Noch immer nichts gehoert f.P. Vielleicht heute oder morgen. Lass dir dann gleich wissen. Waren gestern beim einen Park picnicen. Paul hat jetzt Vacation diese und naechste Woche. hat immer noch Halsweh. sonst alles schoen auch Beer.
Gruss. Karl.
And the English translation…
Tags: aqueduct, Erie Canal Aqueduct, Genesee Aqueduct, old photos of Rochester, prohibition, Rich Rolwing, Rochester, Rochester history, rochester images, Rochester NY, Rochester Subway, vintage postcard
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images | 1 Comment »
Prohibition in Rochester
Sunday, October 2nd, 2011![The Doud Saloon on Front Street in the late 1800s. [PHOTO: Local History Division, Rochester Public Library.]](http://rochestersubway.com/images/photos/doud-saloon-rochester.jpg)
A much anticipated documentary on the prohibition era will air Sunday night on WXXI. Ken Burns and Lynn Novick tell the story of “the rise, rule, and fall of the Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution” which outlawed alcohol and tossed everything we thought we knew about America upside down.
The following is an excerpt from a 1992 edition of Rochester History magazine, edited by Ruth Rosenberg-Naparsteck, City Historian…
Tags: American Brewing Company, Bartholomay Brewery Co., Cataract Brewing Company, Clarissa Street, Doud Saloon, Frankfort Tavern, Front Street, Genesee Brewing Company, Ken Burns, Lynn Novick, prohibition, Rochester, Rochester Brewing Company, Rochester history, Rochester NY, Ruth Rosenberg-Naparsteck, speakeasy, Standard Brewing Company, temperance movement, Wehle Baking Company
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images | No 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 »
Clang Clang Clang … Went the Trolley
Friday, July 8th, 2011
Recently I received an email from a local woman asking for help identifying an old bell with some strange letters. She states quite simply, “I have an old bell with these letters RC&BRR. Can you give me any information on this?” Right away I recognized those letters…
Tags: horsecar, old photos of Rochester, Rochester City and Brighton Railroad Company (RC&BRR), Rochester history, rochester photos, streetcar, transit, transportation, trolley, vintage, vintage trolley bell
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images, Train/Railroad Stuff | 10 Comments »
55th Anniversary of Rochester’s Darkest Day
Thursday, June 30th, 2011![These notices were posted in anticipation of the end of passenger service in the Subway on June 30, 1956. [Image from Railroad.net]](http://www.railroad.net/articles/railfanning/rochestersubway/media/RSB_notice19571.GIF)
As we look back on 55 years without our subway, the U.S. Highway System celebrates its 55th birthday. Coincidence?
Some old photos of Rochester’s lost subway after the jump…
Tags: history of Rochester, New York, old photos of Rochester, Rochester, Rochester history, Rochester NY, Rochester Subway, Rochester Subway photos, Rochester Transit Corporation, this date in Rochester history
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images, Rochester Subway, Train/Railroad Stuff, Transit + Infrastructure | 7 Comments »
Vintage Views of Rochester; 178 and counting…
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…
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 »
Today, February 26, in Rochester History: Rochester Swept by Great Fire
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…
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 »
Today, February 18, in Rochester History: Abraham Lincoln’s 10 Minute Pop-in
Friday, February 18th, 2011![On February 18, 1861, Abraham Lincoln addressed over 8,000 Rochesterians from his train's observation platform. He was traveling thru to Washington D.C. for his inauguration. [Cartoon from 'Mr. Lincoln and New York' © 2002-2011 The Lincoln Institute.]](http://rochestersubway.com/images/photos/abraham-lincoln-train.jpg)
Here’s a fun fact you can impress your friends with on this glorious Friday in Rochester… Today is the 150th anniversary of perhaps the most famous tour stops in Rochester’s history. On February 18, 1861 good ole’ Abe Lincoln popped in to say ‘Hey dudes!’.
Tags: Abraham Lincoln, Rochester, Rochester history, Savoy Hotel, this date in Rochester history
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images, Train/Railroad Stuff | 4 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 »
Struggle in Smugtown: A History of Rochester’s Working Class
Wednesday, October 27th, 2010Shawn Wilkinson, a friend and member of Reconnect Rochester
, recently tipped me off to this documentary; Struggle in Smugtown. “Smugtown” is the not-so-flattering nickname given to Rochester by newspaper writer G. Curtis Gerling and also the title of his book Smugtown, USA. The “Struggle” refers to that of the working man and woman. I think you’ll find this to be a fascinating look into the social and economic history of our little town.
Watch all 15 segments of this film
(including this one on Transportation in Rochester).
Tags: Flour City, Flower City, history of Rochester, movie, Rochester history, Ronald G. Pettengill Labor Education Fund, Struggle in Smugtown, video
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images | No Comments »
Random Subway Memories from Curlew Street
Saturday, September 11th, 2010![Subway tracks from Lexington Avenue bridge near Curlew Street (1940's). [PHOTO: Rochester Municipal Archives]](http://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-subway-lexington-avenue.jpg)
Jim Hall, age 62, of Farmington NY, recently stumbled upon RochesterSubway.com and was immediately taken for a ride down memory lane. So much so that he decided to share with us a few of his fondest memories of the Rochester Subway—his final ride on the very last day of service, and of his grandfather who was a streetcar conductor during the Great Blizzard of 1900! Jim says he and his two older sisters were brought up with a healthy fear of the subway because he was told of a tragic story where a ‘boy lost both legs’ being a bit too close to the tracks. As Jim points out, “it seems strange these days that memories stick with you.” But they certainly do. And the fun part is, we never know which ones will stand out in our mind a half century from now. Here’s Jim’s subway story…
Tags: B&O Railroad, Badge #834, Car #401, Curlew Street, Jim Hall, Lexington Avenue, old photos of Rochester, Rochester, Rochester history, Rochester NY, Rochester Subway
Posted in Rochester Subway, Rochester Subway Stories | 34 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 »
Today, June 30, in Rochester History: Final Day of Subway Service.
Wednesday, June 30th, 2010On this day, June 30, 1956 in Rochester history…
Service on the Rochester Industrial and Rapid Transit Railway (the “subway”) ended. According to several accounts, the public came out in force to bid farewell to the Rochester subway and an extra car had to be added to handle the crowds. Fifty members of the Metropolitan New York Railway Association held a chartered fantrip, and people crowded platforms and overhead bridges all along the subway route to get their last pictures…
Tags: Canal Boats, General Motors, history of Rochester, Interurbans & Trolleys, New York, NRHS, old photos of Rochester, Rochester, Rochester history, Rochester NY, Rochester Subway, Rochester Subway photos, Rochester Transit Corporation, Rowlands Loop, this date in Rochester history
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images, Rochester Subway, Train/Railroad Stuff | 2 Comments »
Rochester: A City of Quality (1963)
Saturday, June 19th, 2010
In light of some of recent civic developments in our town over the past few months (high speed rail, transit centers, new theaters, etc.) I thought it appropriate to pull this old film out of the archives to take a look at the history of Rochester through the eyes of some good old-fashioned propaganda. Rochester: A City of Quality is the title of a film made in 1963 by Rochester Gas and Electric. The film presents Rochester in the most glowing light possible through a narrative that is clearly a product of Cold War industrialism. In one section the narrator declares “Rochester has made peace with the automobile”. And in another, “Change is necessary to keep competitive in industry as well as cities. If you don’t change, change will change you.”
Tags: film, history of Rochester, Jam Handy, Jam Handy Company, movie, New York, old photos of Rochester, Rochester, Rochester history, Rochester NY, video, vintage views
Posted in Art + Culture, Rochester History, Rochester Images, Video | 2 Comments »
Rochester Business News
