The spate of recent articles in the D&C regarding local construction projects also means that there will be a great amount of demolition of older buildings and historic properties. Take, for example, the recent decision to demolish the Cataract Brewery buildings in High Falls. The cost to demolish the properties alone—estimated at $800,000 to $1 million—is more than twice the amount for which Genesee Brewery was recently selling the two Cataract Brewery buildings and a large parking lot. That same amount could be used to install a new roof and windows, “button up” the building, and abate the lead paint, within the older “gem” brewery building. Although the oldest Cataract building is currently a “liability” in the words of a developer who recently toured the property, it could actually act as the driver for redevelopment. Historic Preservation Tax Credits, coupled with city, county, state, and federal monies, could pay for at least 30-40% of construction costs, and potentially way more if the City took on the lead abatement costs and Genesee Brewery and its owner, KPS Capital, acted as an investor or partner in redevelopment.
Rendering of renovated buildings and GardenAerial trail
I realize that sometimes it’s a bit difficult to see the potential in something. Especially when that “potential” is hidden beneath layers of mustard yellow paint, rusty corrugated siding, and 25+ years of plain old tired…
The way things look now (click for larger views)
Why, just the other day Howard S. Decker, FAIA said, “” Mr. Decker is former Principal of DLK Architecture (Chicago) and former Chief Curator of the National Building Museum (Washington DC). He knows a thing or two about buildings, and places that are worth saving for future generations. His highly experienced eyes see the potential in 13 Cataract Street and the neighborhood it lives in.
But what about the rest of us? How can we be sure this building is worth the money and effort it will take to bring it back to life? What is the alternative to demolition? And will we lose our Brewery Visitor Center if we don’t tear this other building down??
Let’s start with an excerpt taken from a document filed by the Landmark Society in 1984 with the New York State Parks and Recreation Division for Historic Preservation…
On Friday officials at the Genesee Brewery unveiled plans they say will “create a destination for beer lovers that anchors development on downtown Rochester’s Northeast side.” Before we get too excited, let’s think.
Firstly, did you know Genesee Brewery is owned by a New York City investment firm called KPS Capital Partners? KPS Capital Partners established North American Breweries, Inc. in 2009 to manage its brewery acquisitions. One of those acquisitions was our beloved Genesee. They will tell you North American Breweries is headquartered in Rochester. But Genesee Brewery is no longer a locally owned company.
North American Breweries says their planned “Genesee Brew House…will celebrate the storied history and experience of the Genesee brand” and that they want to “tell the story of [this] resilient company with a rich history that dates back to 1878.” But to do this they will demolish this building; the centerpiece of Rochester’s historic brewing district, built 1899.
The following press release was issued today by North American Breweries, the NYC investment firm that owns Genesee Brewery.
In brief, they plan to renovate an old packaging building, turn it into a visitor center, and level two of the last remaining original buildings in the heart of Rochester’s historic brewing district. The press release claims that the new visitor center “hinges” on the demolition of these historic buildings – not because the new visitor center is being built on the land, but because the old buildings impede the view of High Falls.
What the press release doesn’t mention is that one local group, the people behind the Garden Aerial Project and the Greentopia Festival, expressed interest in these buildings three months ago. They want to renovate the old buildings and turn them into office space and a visitor center in partnership with the brewery. I was told North American Breweries turned them down because the money wasn’t right. So it looks like they will spend $600,000 to demolish the buildings instead. ??
This press release comes at the perfect time for North American Breweries. I learned today that they are planning to submit their application on Monday to demolish 13 Cataract St.
RochesterSubway.com will be 3 years old this January and recently it welcomed it’s 100,000th visitor. While the bulk of this web traffic is local, the website gets a fair amount of visits from every corner of the country. And those visitors are very important. Case in point, Norm from Baltimore, Maryland. Norm read our story about Genesee Brewery wanting to demolish the old Standard Brewing Company Building and he sent us some inspiration from his home town… (more…)
RocSubway has word from good sources this afternoon that Genesee Brewery will submit an application today to demolish this building at the eastern end of the High Falls pedestrian bridge at 13 Cataract Street. This will likely be going to the Zoning Board hearing on Dec 15. Obviously, if true, this would be a great architectural and historical loss for Rochester. If you know anyone with deep pockets, now is a great time to buy!
If there’s one thing the Great Recession can teach us, it’s that one need not pay an admission fee and tip toe through the great white halls of the Memorial Art Gallery to be able to enjoy fine art. Rochester’s streets are a hotbed of modern artistic expression. All too often we dismiss street art as thoughtless vulgarity or worthless scribble. I say it depends on the frame; and the lens.
Throw on a French beret and grab your monocle. We’re hitting the streets and public spaces of Rochester to broaden our understanding of what art is…
Last Halloween I posted a ghastly warning about the abandoned Rochester subway tunnel. That warning was sent to us by a reader who claimed he knew people who once lived and died in the tunnel, and that he now feels a strong “spiritual pressure” whenever he returns there.
Jeffrey’s not the only one who feels these strange vibes from the subway tunnel. RochesterSubway.com often receives stories like these from people who claim to have been followed, or chased, out of the defunct subway. Though rarely do we get to see physical evidence of the ghoulish bouncer.
Last week Aaron Killeen sent in this mysterious photo (shown below) and gave a spine-tingling account of a night inside the Rochester subway, which he says he and his friends will not soon forget…
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.
A few weeks ago I posted this letter to RocSubway readers asking them to join me and Reconnect Rochester in casting a symbolic vote for the future of public transit in Rochester. Those votes will be cast tomorrow, on Critical Mass Transit Day. Thank you to the hundreds of people who asked us for pins and pledged to ride. With your help this could be the biggest day for Rochester’s transit system since the Rochester subway opened in 1927. I believe it already is.
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…
Sorry if we caused a mass panic last week with all of the reports of UFO’s and abductions. We staged the whole UFO thing. But we can’t apologize for the adbuctions. As it turns out, every dollar we spend on gasoline, over $1.5 MILLION each day*, leaves the local economy never to be seen again. Vanished! The numbers are real. The UFO’s are not. We can do something about the vanishing resources.
Did you know every $1 invested in public transportation generates approximately $4 in economic returns. It’s true. Households that use public transportation and live with one less car can save on average $9,000 every year.[1]
The volunteers at Reconnect Rochester find these numbers downright frightening. And we’re doing something about. We’ve organized a ‘human resistance’ movement have been getting the word out this weekend at the Greentopia Festival about Critical Mass Transit Day.
ON THE 3RD THURSDAY OF OCTOBER, AND EVERY MONTH THEREAFTER, WE WILL LEAVE OUR CARS AT HOME & JOIN TOGETHER FOR A “CRITICAL MASS” TRANSIT RIDE. EVERYONE IS INVITED! NO ONE IS IN CHARGE! LOOK FOR YOUR COMRADES ON RTS BUSES WEARING THIS PIN…
ON OCTOBER 20 SHOW THIS PIN TO YOUR RTS DRIVER AND RIDE FREE ALL DAY!
THAT part is no hoax. RTS has kindly agreed to honor our NO-UFOs pin as free entry onto any RTS bus all day on October 20. Just flash this pin at the friendly driver. Even if you’ve never ridden RTS before, now is the perfect time to give it a try. If only for one day. To get to work, or for a leisurely trip around the block.
Visit Reconnect Rochester at the Greentopia Festival (High Falls, vendor area, booth 55) and grab your FREE pin today… before they VANISH.
A RocSubway reader (who has asked to remain anonymous) submitted the above photo a little over an hour ago. All we know is that the picture was taken at a gas station on Main Street near downtown Rochester. The victim has not been identified. At this time the FBI has stepped in and taken the scene over from RPD.
Yesterday, this photo (left) went viral after it was posted to Reconnect Rochester’s web site. It was taken at a Greentopia event in the High Falls neighborhood on Wednesday. The object in the sky has yet to be identified.
Have you seen this photo? It was posted yesterday on Reconnect Rochester’s site. The organizers of the Greentopia Festival turned Commercial Street (in High Falls) into “green” space and hosted a lunch picnic for workers in the neighborhood. As if that weren’t strange enough… Then I looked a little closer at the photo. WHAT THE HELL IS THAT IN THE SKY?!?
I took the liberty of digitally enhancing the area of the photo that caught my eye. Tell me this isn’t the least bit curious…
9/11 destroyed the lives of thousands of innocent people and had a profound impact on countless others. But 9/11 didn’t end on that September morning ten years ago.
RochesterSubway.com’s home page went dark today — honoring the people who lost their lives that morning. Also listed are the thousands of coalition causalities from the Iraq and Afghanstan wars.
Not listed are the families, husbands, wives, and children who have been left behind. Not listed are the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi and Afghani civilian casualties or their families. Not listed are the people who will be lost tomorrow or the next day; on the battle field, or in acts of terror.
We will never forget 9/11. And we continue to wait for 9/12.
It’s no secret that I am wholeheartedly in favor of removing Rochester’s Inner Loop roadway which encircles downtown and chokes it off from the surrounding neighborhoods like an ever tightening noose. What we didn’t know until today was that City Council and Mayor Tom Richards feel the same…
Last week fresh paint went down on Saint Paul Street – from the Monroe County Social Services building north to School #8 near Avenue A. But wait a cottonpickin’ second… why’s that lane so darn skinny? How am I supposed to squeeze my Hummer through there?
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.”
The City of Rochester has contracted with Laberge Group of Albany, New York to determine the feasibility of converting the one-way street couplets of St. Paul Street/South Avenue and North/South Clinton Avenue between Byron Street and Cumberland Street to two-way traffic to improve neighborhood accessibility and walkability. Key considerations are expected to include impacts to traffic congestion, safety, parking, bicyclists, pedestrians, transit, and service provision.
Irondequoit is a pretty cool little town; surrounded by water on three sides and the City of Rochester to its south. Home of the HOG (House of Guitars), Sea Breeze Amusement, and Parkside Diner & Whispering Pines (officially the oldest miniature golf course in the USA). Of course there are also a few clouds that hang over this small-ish town of 52,000 soles – namely Medley Center and a pretty tired looking retail corridor in East Ridge Road. But put all that aside for a moment. Here comes a smaller project that could have a much bigger impact per square foot… Irondequoit Square. Click the image below for a larger view of the plan…
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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
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![Genesee Brewery. [Flickr Photo: _Yoshi_]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/genesee-brewery-sign-yoshi.jpg)
![A view of what could one day be Rochester's Historic Brewery Square and entrance to the GardenAerial trail (right). [RENDERING: RochesterSubway.com]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/cataract-rendering-empty.jpg)
![The original panorama photo set used to create the rendering of Brewery Square. [PHOTO: RochesterSubway.com]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/cataract-rendering-original.jpg)
![The building as it was in 1899. [PHOTO: Rochester Public Library]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/genesee-brewery.jpg)
![The recently renovated and beautifully restored American Brewery building in Baltimore, Maryland. [Flickr Photo: Prêt à Voyager]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/american-brewery-baltimore-1.jpg)
![Genesee Brewery getting set to demolish this building. That would be a great loss. [Flickr Photo: Zeus-the-Ferret]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/genesee-brewery-Zeus-the-Ferret.jpg)
![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)
![Are you kidding me with this?? [PHOTO: Anonymous]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-vanishing-ufo-abduction.jpg)
![UFO sighting over High Falls/Greentopia Festival. [PHOTO: VJ Ortiz]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-greentopia-ufo-sighting.jpg)
![A September 11 memorial. [Flickr Photo: Peregrinari]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/september-11-memorial.jpg)
![An aerial view of Rochester on April 25, 1963. On the right is the cleared right-of-way for the final segment of the Inner Loop. [PHOTO: Local History Division, Central Library of Rochester.]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-inner-loop-construction-01.jpg)
![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)
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