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In February we heard rumors that the iconic High Falls smoke stack might be coming down. Yesterday I noticed scaffolding going up around the structure. Today I learned the stack will be completely demolished, probably before winter…

The news was shared at the last High Falls Business Association meeting. Attendees at that meeting told me that RG&E has determined the structure needs extensive repairs, the cost of which could not be justified by RG&E since the old power station no longer benefits their customers.

As it turns out the stack is actually two stacks in one – a very old one encased in a “newer” (probably 1950’s or 60’s) shell of concrete. RG&E says the older one is completely decrepit and the newer one’s concrete is “punky” meaning it’s crumbling and disintegrating. Two similar smoke stacks next to this one were taken down in 2007.

The tower features the distinctive mark of the High Falls Historic District at the top. Standing watch over the neighborhood since the mid-1900′s, it’s become an icon nearly as recognizable as nearby Kodak Tower or the High Falls themselves.

Michael Philipson says the stack is an iconic structure, which really helps define the area and visually marks the “place” of High Falls. Philipson is President of a marketing firm located on nearby Brown’s Race. “It is frustrating that it really doesn’t seem like it can be saved in the current state.”

Philipson is also the co-founder of the upcoming Greentopia Festival and the GardenAerial Project which seek to transform the High Falls gorge into a 21st century public space and showcase of sustainability.

“This is something that we are looking at in our overall plans for GardenAerial and how it might be easier to just rebuild another ‘stack’ on the site from materials that would be more resilient.” Philipson said. “The idea of replacing it with a windmill is also a possibility.”

Would it be possible for someone else to come in and put up the money to make repairs and save the smoke stack? I think it’s a real long shot. Genesee Brewery’s recent demolition of the 120 year old Cataract Brewhouse was a huge blow to local preservationists. And that building actually had usable square footage that could have been occupied and taxed. The smoke stack is pure romance at this point.

RG&E’s estimated cost for repairs is unknown. I’ve been trying to contact someone at RG&E about this story for over a week now with no response.

Related Stuff:

High Falls Gorsline building to be partially demolished
Genesee/North American Brewery Demolition Photos
Old Images of the High Falls
End is near for Hojack swing bridge

Tags: Cataract Brewery, demolition, GardenAerial, Gorsline Building, green energy, Greentopia Festival, High Falls, High Falls Business Association, Michael Philipson, North American Breweries, RG&E Beebee Station, Rochester, Rochester NY, smokestacks, vertical windmill, wind power, windmill

This entry was posted on Saturday, September 8th, 2012 at 10:32 am and is filed under Rochester Images, Rochester News, Transit + Infrastructure, Urban Development. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.