Rochesters South Avenue, 1904. (Rollover the image to zoom)
RochesterSubway.com offers reprints of this image
through Zazzle.com print service. Choose your print size, paper/media type,
and add extra oomph to your prints with custom-fitted frames and matting that
will turn any wall into your own personal gallery.
Old Photo of Rochesters South Avenue
How cool would this South Avenue trolley look on your living room wall? This photo, from the Library of Congress image collection, was taken in 1904 by the Detroit Publishing Co.
Other Rochester icons that can be seen in this photo include the Granite Building and the Cooks Opera House.
The 13 story Granite Building, seen in the background, was considered the finest commercial building in the city when it was built in 1893 by Sibley, Lindsay & Curr Company. The building was gutted by the great Sibley fire the very same year this photo was taken. The fire destroyed several buildings on Main Street, but the Granite Building which was designed to be fire-proof remained largely intact.
The Cooks Opera House (left), built in the 1890s, hosted such stars as Buffalo Bill and Sarah Bernhardt. The interior was a fairly elaborate late Victorian opera house with two horseshoe shaped balconies. In the 1920s Cooks Opera House began operating as the Family Theatre, and was the last holdout in Rochester to show silent movies when talkies were sweeping the country. Later the theatre became the Embassy, which was mainly known for its burlesque shows. The theatre was closed in the 1950s and remained vacant, though well preserved, until it was destroyed by fire in 1973. The Riverside Convention Center now sits on this site.
Like most postcards from this era, the illustration captures beautiful
detail from a distant time. The subway operated at peek capacity during
World War II. But within a decade it would quickly be undone by the
growing popularity of the automobile.
Add extra oomph to your prints with custom-fitted frames and matting that
will turn any wall into your own personal gallery.
Subway & Broad Street Bridge
This illustrated vintage postcard shows Rochesters new Subway and Broad Street bridge. Postmarked 1938.
Typical Rochester Rail Equipment
This illustrated vintage postcard shows three of Rochester's trolley cars outside the E. Main St. Station. Postmarked 1941.
RTC Token (1948-1965)
Good for one city fare on all bus and trolley lines (including the Rochester Subway). Issued 1948. 16mm. White Metal, Copper-plated.
After the Erie Canal was rerouted south of downtown Rochester, the Rochester
Industrial & Rapid Transit Railway (the subway) was built in
its place as a link between the five different railroads and interurban trolley
lines that served the Rochester area. As the industrial landscape of Rochester
changed, and highways replaced the railroads, the Rochester subway gradually
became a relic of a bygone era. In 1956 the subway was abandoned and much of
its route was converted into Interstate 490 built to connect Rochester
with the New York State Thruway (I-90). Read more about the history of the Rochester Subway.
RochesterSubway.com exists to help spark
public dialogue around how we can better connect the neighborhoods of Rochester
NY, surrounding communities, and their cultural offerings. Rochesters
future is written in her past. Let's rediscover it.