![The marquee sign at the former Lakeshore Drive-in Theatre in Greece, NY. [PHOTO: NewYorkDriveIns.com]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-lakeshore-drive-in-movie-theater-marquee.jpg)
Last month RocSubway Facebook fans brought us rumors of a new grocery store for downtown Rochester (those rumors turned out to be true). Now comes an equally exciting rumor from RocSubway that has also checked out. John Tachin, owner of Mr. Dominic’s restaurant in Charlotte has purchased the former Lakeshore Drive-In site and is considering plans to reopen it as a drive in movie theater…
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Rochester’s Lakeshore Drive-in Theatre May Get New Life
Wednesday, January 15th, 2014Tags: Avon NY, Charlotte, Dominic Pane, Greece, Jetset Development Inc., John Tachin, Lakeshore Drive-in Theatre, Ling Road, Mr. Dominic's, Mr. Dominic's at the Lake, old movie theater, Port of Rochester/Charlotte, Rochester, Rochester NY, Vintage Drive In
Posted in Interviews, Rochester History, Rochester Images, Urban Development, Urban Exploration | 21 Comments »
RGRTA Digs Up More Buried Treasure: Seven Masonic Stone Carvings
Thursday, January 9th, 2014![A stone from the Masonic Temple that once stood at Clinton Avenue and Mortimer Street. [IMAGE: RGRTA via Democrat & Chronicle]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/stone-from-masonic-temple-rochester.jpg)
In 2012 we were surprised to learn that RGRTA had dug up the foundation of the RKO Palace Theater while excavating for the new transit terminal. This week, Jim Memmott reported on some more fantastic treasures 
that were unearthed at the same site. Some time last year seven heavy stones (some weighing a ton) were pulled up from depths of up to 30 feet below street level. Each stone bore a symbol of the Freemasons…
Tags: Clinton Avenue, construction, downtown Rochester, excavation, Freemasons, Jim Memmott, Masonic Temple, Mortimer Street, RKO Palace Theater, Rochester, Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority (RGRTA), Rochester NY, RTS Transit Terminal
Posted in Art + Culture, Rochester History, Rochester News, Transit + Infrastructure, Urban Development | 9 Comments »
1964 Rochester Transit Terminal Concept
Monday, January 6th, 2014![A concept by RTC president William Lang for a central transit terminal at Main & Clinton, Rochester NY. [IMAGE: Democrat & Chronicle, January 29, 1967]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-central-transit-terminal-concept-1964.jpg)
Like, WOW! I stumbled upon this concept for an elevated transit terminal in a 1967 D&C article. The drawing shows how Rochester Transit Corporation president William Lang envisioned passengers would wait for their bus – suspended above the intersection of Main & Clinton. This view is looking east toward Clinton Avenue with Sibley’s in the background…
Tags: bus station, bus terminal, bus-stop, Civic Development Council, downtown Rochester, Main & Clinton, Main Street, mass transit, mass transportation, Mortimer Street, public transit, public transportation, Regional Transit Service (RTS), Rochester, Rochester NY, Rochester Transit Corporation, RTS Transit Terminal, transit, William Lang
Posted in Rochester History, Transit + Infrastructure, Urban Development | 6 Comments »
Tell Senator Robach We Actually WANT Safer Streets…
Thursday, January 2nd, 2014
Drivers who like to speed their cars down Lake Avenue between Charlotte and the city have found a new enemy in the Lake Avenue Improvement Project . The plan aims to reduce automobile speeds to better match the posted speed limit of 35 mph by reducing the number lanes. It would also add safety features for pedestrians, cyclists and transit users. But some drivers in the Charlotte neighborhood say the plan will only serve to cause traffic jams and they’ve called on Senator Joe Robach to block it.
If you are a pedestrian… a cyclist… someone who’s ever walked to a bus stop… or a driver who likes the idea of making our streets safer for everyone, you might want to sign this petition in support of the project. And please go ahead and share the link with a few friends.
Tags: Charlotte, City of Rochester, Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Joe Robach, Lake Avenue, Lake Avenue Improvement Project, petition, Rich Koss, Riverside Cemetery, Senator Joseph Robach, St. Bernard's Park
Posted in Rochester News, Transit + Infrastructure | 19 Comments »
ROC City Skatepark Has New Location(s)
Thursday, December 26th, 2013![The Roc City Skatepark was planned to be built under the I-490 Freddie-Sue Bridge. [PHOTO: RocCitySkatepark.org]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/roc-city-skatepark.jpg)
Roc City Skatepark, originally planned to be built under the interstate 490 Frederick Douglass–Susan B. Anthony Memorial Bridge, now has a new location… maybe even several new locationS…
Tags: downtown Rochester, Freddie-Sue Bridge, Frederick Douglass–Susan B. Anthony Memorial Bridge, Genesee Crossroads Park, I-490, Jim Maddison, park, Roc City Skatepark, Rochester, Rochester NY, urban development
Posted in Rochester News, Urban Development | 8 Comments »
New Grocery Store Rumored for Downtown
Sunday, December 22nd, 2013![A new independent grocer may be coming to downtown in 2014. [PHOTO: benchilada, Flickr]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/grocery-produce.jpg)
RocSubway was informed over the weekend by two separate and anonymous sources that a new independent grocer may be coming to downtown Rochester in 2014. Admittedly, this may be unsubstantiated and premature. But these sources have been very reliable in the past. And if true, this would be wildly good news for downtown.
And what the hell, this is a blog, not the Associate Press. I think I have the right to circulate some juicy gossip once in a while…
Tags: 10 Winthrop Street, downtown Rochester, grocery store, Rochester, Rochester NY, The Little Theatre, urban development, Winthrop Street
Posted in Rochester News, Urban Development | 44 Comments »
13 Rochesterians
Monday, December 16th, 2013![13 Rochesterians [PHOTOS BY: Arlene Hodge]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/13-homeless-rochesterians.jpg)
In 2013 I gave myself a photo assignment. Pick 13 subjects, and take 13 snapshots of each… 13x13x13. At some point during the project I decided it’d be much more interesting to open this assignment to anyone who wants to participate. I’m glad I did. The following series of 13 comes from local photographer Arleen Hodge . These are portraits of 13 Rochesterians she’s met on the streets. Arleen says she is grateful to call these people her “friends.”
“They all have stories and they are truly a great bunch of men who are suffering another facet of the human condition,” Arleen reasons. “When I’m shooting underground for a night, these guys look out for me. There are those who are quick to judge… but these would be the guys to jump in and save your life.”
I can think of no better subject for this merry time of year – and less than a week after we were forced to face the facts; that Rochester stands as the fifth poorest city in the United States. It’s not just a city problem. According to that report by The Rochester Area Community Foundation, 160,000 people living within the nine-county region are living in poverty. These are our neighbors. Our friends. These could easily be portraits of you or me…
Tags: 13, 13 Rochesterians, 13x13x13, Arleen Hodge, homeless, House of Mercy, Hudson Avenue, Joseph Avenue, photographer, photography, poverty, Rochester, Rochester charities, Rochester NY, rochester photos, Saint Joe's House of Hospitality, South Avenue
Posted in Art + Culture, Reader Submitted Stories, Rochester Images, Urban Exploration | 7 Comments »
Rochester Center City Master Plan: Q&A
Monday, December 9th, 2013![Rochester Center City [PHOTO: RocPx.com]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-center-city-master-plan-01.jpg)
The City of Rochester Bureau of Planning and Zoning is in the process of updating Center City Master Plan. From the City’s website, “The intent is for this document to be a strategic plan [to] help the city measure and celebrate downtown progress, prioritize further research and analysis, prioritize projects, and help secure funding.”
A draft plan can be viewed online , and in a series of open houses the City is now gathering public input on that draft. The last open house is this Wednesday evening (details at the end of this story).
I had a chance to catch up with Jason Haremza, senior planner with the City of Rochester, to ask a few questions about the update…
Tags: Center City, Center City Master Plan, city planning, downtown Rochester, interview, Jason Haremza, planning, Rochester, Rochester Downtown Development Corporation (RDDC), Rochester downtown plan, Rochester NY, urban design, urban planning, urban revitalization
Posted in Interviews, Rochester News, Urban Development | 5 Comments »
1920’s Photo of Rochester Subway Construction
Friday, December 6th, 2013![Rochester Subway, Broad Street tunnel construction. c.1925. [IMAGE: Rochester Municipal Archives]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-subway-broad-street-construction-01.jpg)
Today’s Fun Foto Friday is this 1920’s view of the Erie Canal aqueduct looking east. You’re looking at the covering over the old canal which would soon become Broad Street and the Rochester Subway beneath. In the background (center) is the Osburn House hotel. Eventually Broad Street would be extended eastward, right through that hotel. The stairwell to the City Hall subway station can be seen at the street corner. And next to the stairs, notice the construction site…
Tags: Broad Street, Exchange Boulevard, Exchange Street, Fun Foto Friday, Genesee Valley Trust, history of Rochester, James Field Company, Osburn House, Rochester history, Rochester Subway, Times Square Building
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images, Rochester Subway, Transit + Infrastructure, Urban Development | 2 Comments »
Hide Your Kids, Krampus is Coming to Rochester
Tuesday, December 3rd, 2013![A FREE community event, 'Breakfast with Krampus' will bring subversive holiday humor to Rochester. [PHOTO: Provided by Eric Rezsnyak]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/breakfast-with-krampus-2013-01.jpg)
Are you sick of the crass commercialism of Christmas? Looking to add a little edge to your holiday festivities? Here’s a free event you won’t want to miss. On Saturday, December 7, at MuCCC (142 Atlantic Ave.) snag breakfast with everyone’s favorite holiday demon, Krampus, and help some needy kids at the same time.
Who the hell is Krampus? I’m glad you asked…
Tags: Eric Rezsnyak, Krampus, Multi-use Community Cultural Center (MuCCC), Santa, Santa Claus, St. Nicholas, The Bloody Noes
Posted in Art + Culture, Events, Rochester News | 2 Comments »
Historic Rochester in 3D Stereoscope
Monday, November 25th, 2013![3D Stereogram of High Falls (c.1885) [PHOTO: Rochester Public Library]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/high-falls-rochester-1885.gif)
From the 1850’s to the 1930’s stereograms were considered cutting edge home entertainment technology. Two photos taken at the same time from slightly different angles would be view together using a special set of lenses called a stereoscope. The result would be an ever so subtle (yet mind-tingling) simulated 3D view…
Tags: Academy Building, Athenaeum Library, Chapin's monument, CJ Hayden monument, High Falls, Lake Avenue, Lower Falls, Monroe County Court House, Mount Hope Cemetery, old photos, old photos of Rochester, old photos of Rochester NY, Pitkin monument, Pitkin vault, Powers Building, Rochester, Rochester City Hall, Rochester Free Academy, Rochester NY, Sibley Building, Sibley's, Sibley's Department Store, Sibly Lindsay & Curr Co., stereogram, stereoscope, stereoscopic views, vintage views, West Main Street
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images | 5 Comments »
Happy Holidays! Save on Rochester Subway Posters and Framing
Sunday, November 24th, 2013![Get 20% off the Rochester Subway or Rochester Neighborhoods maps, then take it to Black Radish Studio for 25% off a custom framing job! Happy Holidays! [PHOTO: Black Radish Studio]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-subway-frame-by-black-radish-01.jpg)
If you’re camping outside some big box store in the freezing cold waiting to get trampled in an attempt to grab a “Black Friday deal,” here’s something that may just save your life.
Now thru next Saturday, you can take 20% off the 24×36 Rochester Subway Map, 1928 Rochester Subway Map or the Rochester Neighborhoods Map. But wait, there’s more…
Tags: Black Radish Studio, gift idea, Gift Shop, Rochester, Rochester Subway map, Rochester Subway Poster, subway gifts
Posted in Art + Culture, Rochester Gifts | No Comments »
Elusive Memories of Iola, Part 2
Friday, November 22nd, 2013![Children (patients) on the roof of Iola Tuberculosis Sanatorium (c.1939). That's Marilyn Casserino in the center. [PHOTO COURTESY OF: Marilyn Murphree]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/iola-tuberculosis-sanatorium-children-crop.jpg)
Here’s an update to last Friday’s story about Marilyn Casserino, 79. Marilyn is the girl in the dark dress in the center of the photo above. This picture was taken c.1939 on the roof of the Children’s Building at Iola Tuberculosis Sanitorium where Marilyn was a patient, along with her mother Vivian.
Unfortunately, Marilyn’s mom passed away while at the hospital. Marilyn was just 6 at the time. Looking back at those days, she now wishes she could remember more – about her mom, and about this place where they were treated for well over a year.
For starters, she wanted to try and find out who the other girls in the photo were. Would you believe in less than one week we’ve now identified two of those girls…
Tags: abandoned, abandoned places, AJ Costello & Son, Beverly Ferguson, Brighton, City Gate, CityGate, Costco, development, East Henrietta Road, historic preservation, Iola Campus, Iola Tuberculosis Sanatorium, Jean Bissiett, Marilyn Casserino, Monroe Community Hospital, Monroe County, preservation, Rochester, Rochester history, Rochester NY, rochester photos, Vivian Casserino, Westfall Road
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images | 19 Comments »
13 T-Shirts
Thursday, November 21st, 2013![13 Rochester T-shirts [PHOTO: Tiny Fish Printing]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/13-rochester-tshirts.jpg)
In 2013 I gave myself a photo assignment. Pick 13 subjects, and take 13 snapshots of each… 13x13x13. Turns out this was much more work than I thought. So I’ve been accepting submissions from others. Today’s series of 13 comes to us from Tiny Fish Printing , a custom apparel printing company located near the public market.
T-shirts are an American staple. We all have our favorite one that we wear until our belly button shows through. They’re a great way to show our support for our favorite local institutions… restaurants, bands, clubs, etc. They allow us to show off our creative side, even we don’t have a creative bone in our body. And best of all, they keep us from being naked.
Uh, ok… Let’s just take a look at 13 awesome local t-shirt designs…
Tags: 13 T-shirts, 13x13x13, art, Flatline, graphic design, Hell On Earth, Ice Nine Kills (INK), Juan & Maria's Empanada Stop, Kink Bike, Montezuma Winery, Old Skull Skate Boards, Outlaw, Reconnect Rochester, Rochester, Rochester Brainery, Rochester NY, t-shirts, The Sunstreak, Tiny Fish Printing, Whoopzip Clothing, Wildflowers & Wine
Posted in Art + Culture | 2 Comments »
Deep Inside Rochester’s Big Old Sibley Building
Monday, November 18th, 2013![The Sibley Building, Rochester NY. [PHOTO: RochesterSubway.com]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-sibley-building-01.jpg)
This former department store (Sibley, Lindsay & Curr Company) is truly massive. Rochester’s Sibley Building weighs in at over 1.1 million square feet (23 acres of floorspace) – easily the largest building in Monroe County.
WinnCompanies out of Boston now owns the property and plans to spend up to $200 Million over the next five years to bring it back to life as mixed-use space. Holy smokes, do these guys have their work cut out for them. You may have noticed new windows and awnings along Main Street? Some 2,000 windows have yet to be replaced.
Last week the UofR Urban Explorers Club went on a tour through the maze of hallways and spaces, from the dark sub-basement all the way up to the two massive water tanks on the tower rooftop…
Tags: abandoned places, downtown Rochester, EZ-net, Main Street, Rochester, Rochester NY, Sibley Building, Sibley's, Sibley's Department Store, Sibly Lindsay & Curr Co., University of Rochester, urban exploration, urban explorers, UrbEx Club, Winn Development, WinnCompanies
Posted in Rochester Destinations, Rochester History, Rochester Images, Urban Development, Urban Exploration | 122 Comments »
Elusive Memories of Iola
Friday, November 15th, 2013
A couple months ago we took a look inside the Iola tuberculosis hospital on Westfall Road. The buildings have since been demolished. But for Marilyn Casserino, 79, those photos triggered memories, and questions that will linger on…
Tags: abandoned, abandoned places, AJ Costello & Son, Brighton, City Gate, CityGate, Costco, development, East Henrietta Road, historic preservation, Iola Campus, Iola Tuberculosis Sanatorium, Marilyn Casserino, Monroe Community Hospital, Monroe County, preservation, Rochester, Rochester history, Rochester NY, rochester photos, Vivian Casserino, Westfall Road
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images | 42 Comments »
University of Rochester’s Lost Swimming Pool Revisited
Tuesday, November 12th, 2013![The abandoned swimming pool at University of Rochester has been cleaned of its desk chairs. [PHOTO: RochesterSubway.com]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/university-of-rochester-abandoned-pool2-01.jpg)
Earlier this year we took a look at some amazing photos of this abandoned swimming pool on the University of Rochester campus. Within days of those photos being posted here, the university had cleaned up the scene. These new photos got lost in my computer which is why you’re just seeing them now. But I thought it was worth revisiting…
Tags: abandoned swimming pool, Merle Spurrier Gymnasium, Robert B. Goergen Athletic Center, Rochester, Rochester NY, rochester photos, U of R, University of Rochester
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images, Rochester News, Urban Exploration | 6 Comments »
Sculpey House Ornaments
Friday, November 8th, 2013
Are you looking for gift ideas this holiday season? Here’s one that’s sure to fill any proud homeowner with good cheer. Local artist Kimberly Kllc DiPietro makes awesome little house ornaments out of Sculpey®! There can’t possibly be a better way to commemorate one’s home than with America’s favorite oven-baked clay…
Tags: 19th Ward, 19th Ward neighborhood, Aberdeen Street, architecture, art, Christmas, gift idea, Kimberly Kllc DiPietro, Sculpey house ornaments
Posted in Art + Culture, Rochester Gifts | No Comments »
Midtown Plaza and Baby Steps Back to Urbanism
Wednesday, November 6th, 2013
The following is a guest post submitted by Irene Allen.
Submit your story today.
I was thinking about our collective reactions to the proposed D&C building, and the completed Windstream building. Clearly both buildings are more modest than what many of us hoped to see in this key downtown site (and what the zoning code spells out for downtown). It’s an issue that I think applies to all infill development downtown, and the ideas behind Incremental Urbanism shed some interesting light on it.
Tags: Irene Allen
Posted in Opinion, Reader Submitted Stories, Rochester News, Transit + Infrastructure, Urban Development | 20 Comments »
Tom Richards Wins
Monday, November 4th, 2013![Recently, RochesterSubway.com asked Facebook fans who they were voting for in the upcoming race for Mayor. The results are in. [PHOTO: RochesterSubway.com]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-race-for-mayor-2013.jpg)
Recently, RochesterSubway.com asked Facebook fans who they were voting for in the upcoming race for Mayor. The results are in. Statistically speaking, no one should read too much into this crudely constructed poll. But it did attract some rather interesting results.
If this race were decided on Facebook likes, Tom Richards (Independent) wins hands down with 23. Alex White (Green) finished with 7. And Lovely Warren (Democrat) pulled in 2 (and one person voted for all three candidates). Richards also had the edge with the shear number of comments left.
If anything can be taken away from this, it’s that Lovely Warren supporters were missing in action. Not one positive comment was left for Warren. Either they don’t read RochesterSubway.com, or they are busy on the campaign trail. We’ll know for sure tomorrow night.
DO NOT miss your chance to voice your choice at the real polls tomorrow. In the meantime, check out the comments…
Tags: Alex White, candidates for mayor, Democrats, election day, Green Party, Lovely Warren, politics, Rochester election, Rochester mayoral candidates, Rochester race for mayor, Thomas Richards, vote, vote for mayor
Posted in Interviews, Opinion, Reader Submitted Stories, Rochester News | 6 Comments »
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