The following is a guest post submitted anonymously with additional photos by Mike Governale
I was near the airport when Vice President Biden’s plane came in a few weeks ago. Held up by a road block, I happened to find myself near a junk yard full of old RTS buses. I knew traffic wouldn’t be moving for a while so I pulled over and got out to take a closer look. It was little bus graveyard…
This is Rochester’s fruit belt, and the inspiration behind a new collaboration between Greentopia and Shawn Dunwoody. The Fruit Belt Mural Project aims to transform one of Rochester’s most challenged neighborhoods (JOSANA, in the northwest quadrant) through art…
I’ve always been a fan of Rochester Subway content which looks at our city from a different angle. I thought I might contribute something in turn, that looks at our city from an aerial angle.
I noticed this week that Google Earth had updated its imagery to include snapshots from as early as a month ago. It is now possible to follow a lot of tangible changes that have been going on in the city for a while. I put together a handful of before-and-afters that I thought were interesting (to me anyway). Take a look at the album and see if you can spot the differences…
I received an email last week from George Conboy, Chairman of Brighton Securities. He asks, “Have you seen anywhere a photo of the transportation mural that was behind the long ticket counter at the old airport? I remember it as a vaguely Art Deco theme of general transportation with an emphasis, of course, on air transport.”
Mr. Conboy explained that he used to fly a lot during the “glory days” of air travel back in the 1960s when he was a kid. “I just liked that old mural. I used to see it all the time and it has always been in my mind.”
This is a great question. I had been told of this mural before but have never seen it myself. Photos of it online are practically non-existent, so this one will require some digging…
This Saturday Ellison Park will host Rolling Thunder – The Food Truck Wonder and what’s being billed as “a food truck rodeo on steriods.” Rolling Thunder will be the first food truck event to take place at a Monroe County Park…
In 1867 Gustav Dentzel founded the Dentzel Carouse Company in Philadelphia, PA. In 1905, Gustav’s “Duchess” menagerie carousel opened at Ontario Beach Park where it has since entertained many generations of Rochesterians.
Recently, a debate has erupted concerning one of the ride’s painted panels; two black children—or more accurately, picaninnies—being harassed by a rooster. Stereotypical depictions of black children such as these were intended to dehumanize blacks and provide entertainment for whites at their expense. There’s no debate here. It is what it is. The question is what do to with the panel…
Some have called for it to be removed or replaced with something different. Others believe it should be preserved – either in place, or in another setting where it can be used to educate future generations about America’s history and the pitfalls of racism and bigotry.
Bill Dentzel is the great-grandson of Gustav Dentzel. In a letter to Rochester’s Preservation Board dated August 4, 2015, Bill suggests that the panel may be moved, but should not be discarded as “garbage”…
For those in the Rochester community who have a hard time understanding why the Dentzel carousel painted picaninny panel disallows African-American families and children from a carefree experience at Ontario Beach Park, I encourage you consider that you are not the butt of the joke…
The fourth First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival (Thursday, September 17 – Saturday, September 26) announced its complete lineup this week at its annual BIG REVEAL at The Little Theatre. The 2015 Fringe will include more than 500 performances and events (up from 2014’s 380) featuring all genres of art in 25+ venues in downtown Rochester, with more than 120 of them offered free of charge. The full schedule is available and all tickets are on sale as of now at RochesterFringe.com …
The complex of the Rochester Psychiatric Center (a.k.a. Rochester State Hospital or Monroe County Insane Asylum) is legendary among urban explorers and history fanatics alike. Originally built in the early 1800s as the Monroe County Almshouse (or poorhouse), new buildings and facilities were gradually added to care for the mentally ill.
Although the hospital still operates to this day, a few buildings were closed in the mid-1990s and now sit in various states of decay. One notable example we’ve explored previously is the towering 16-story Terrence Building which looms over Elmwood Avenue. Another is the sprawling Walters Building (originally known as the Orleans Building) which we’ll be exploring today…
A good friend of mine, Ander Kazmerski , just posted some sweet drone footage of Rochester. The video focuses on two sites – the Rochester subway and the Carnegie building on Goodman Street just after its devastating fire. I don’t think I need to say much about it. These images speak for themselves. You’ll definitely want to go full-screen with this one…
Yesterday we took a bike ride down inside the Inner Loop with Matthew Ehlers to see how Rochester’s “big fill” was progressing. Quite nicely I’d say. But once filled, the next question becomes, what will fill the void.
RocSubway reader Ben Voellinger pointed us to a recent document posted to the City’s website that outlines recommendations for future development(s) along the new Union Street. Thanks Ben! Let’s take a look…
I noticed grass growing on the piles of dirt in the Inner Loop construction project today. It’s as if nature can’t wait for the filling in of the Inner Loop to complete before reclaiming the land…
Here’s an interesting video we stumbled upon while diddling around on YouTube this weekend. This 7 and a half minute long interpretive dance exploration of the Rochester subway tunnel will totally blow your mind. Grab some popcorn and roll film…
School’s out, Sea Breeze is open, and summer is officially in full swing. But before you head out to the beaches this weekend, take note of the latest trends in swimwear. You don’t want to be caught looking silly wearing last year’s style.
For 2015, that vintage look is back, and we’ve dug up some real classics – from Rochester’s old natatoriums to the shores of Lake Ontario…
Howard Nielsen, owner of Sticky Lips BBQ, is currently in the process of renovating the 33,000 square foot building at the corner of Culver and Atlantic. He plans to rebrand the complex into a neighborhood entertainment district called “Photo City Junction” (derived from Rochester’s history in film and camera manufacturing).
Last week Nielsen went to New York City to speak at the NY State Wage Board hearings. He says his concerns for New York State’s proposed minimum wage increase led him to represent business owners like himself. Nielsen sent a copy of his speech from June 15 to RochesterSubway.com. Here it is in its entirety…
During the early 20th century consumer photography—and Kodak in particular—was itself an emerging market, much like wearable technology today. People were super excited about these new photographic gadgets. But Eastman Kodak Company didn’t sit back and wait for customers to come to them – they advertised, and they were creative about it.
In fact, film and cameras weren’t the only things coming out of Kodak Park. In 1917, Kodak employees produced and performed an operetta (or a short musical) entitled Kodaki San. One of the featured songs was this piano tune and ode to Rochester…
Last year, as part of ROC Transit Day , we planned a city-wide treasure hunt where teams followed a series of clues (for over 19 miles) to be the first to find a $500 cash prize at the end. The only catch: No motor vehicles. All teams were required to use public transit, walk, or bike. (it’s in the rules!)
This year (Thursday, June 18) we’re doing it again. It’s completely free to enter, but you must pre-register here before June 17. Right now we only have 6 teams signed up, so your odds would be pretty good; as long as you have a good working knowledge of Rochester.
Still not sure if you’ve got the right stuff? Take a look at the clues from LAST year and see how well you’d fare…
ROC Transit Day is next week – Thursday, June 18. Rochester will be going car-free in support of a healthier community and we’ve lined up a fun day to celebrate… bus rides for you and the family, a street dance competition , city-wide treasure hunt , music all afternoon outside Rochester Central Library. Oh, and did someone say flash mob ?
So if you haven’t already, pull together a team of friends or co-workers and hop a bus on June 18. And if you need fare cards, contact us now …
We all love Rochester but sometimes you just need to get out of town for a day, right? That’s why Landmark Society’s Young Urban Preservationists and Slow Road Travel are bringing you Backroads & Byways: Medina , the first in a series of daytrips to check out the roads less traveled and to explore historic places and exciting projects in small towns throughout the region…
Have you ever done something so crazy you started to question your own sanity? A few weeks ago a little voice inside my head said, “DUDE, you should totally organize a flash mob!” Most sane people would have chuckled to themselves and ignored the voice. Not me. I listened to it.
So now here I am, asking you to join me for what could be the most insane (yet wildly entertaining) 5 minutes that downtown Rochester has seen in quite a while. If you’re feeling a little bit crazy, the details are after the jump…
Get Email Updates...
Stay up-to-date on Rochester-related stories, artifacts, and ideas that you won't find in the mainstream news.
Totally free, never spammy, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
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. Rochester’s
future is written in her past. Let's rediscover it.
![RTS bus graveyard. [PHOTO: RochesterSubway.com]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-rts-transit-bus-graveyard-00.jpg)
![Satellite before & after image of Rochester. [IMAGE: Google Earth via Nick Russo]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-satellite-before-and-after-midtown-plaza.gif)
![Do you remember the mural at the old Rochester Monroe County Airport? A reader asked if we could share photos of it. [IMAGE: Rochester Public Library Local History Division]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-monroe-county-airport-00.jpg)
![The Rochester Rolling Thunder Festival is coming to Ellison Park this Saturday. [IMAGE: RocPX.com]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rolling-thunder-food-truck-rodeo-ellison-park-02.jpg)
![This painted picaninny panel on Rochester's Dentzel carousel has been the subject of debate since the confederate flag was removed from South Carolina's State House in July. [IMAGE: RochesterSubway.com]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-ontario-beach-carousel-04.jpg)
![Dentzel carousel at Ontario Beach Park. Rochester, NY. [IMAGE: RochesterSubway.com]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-ontario-beach-carousel-01.jpg)
![Rochester Fringe Festival [IMAGE: RochesterFringe.com]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-fringe-festival-2015-01.jpg)
![Inside the abandoned Walters psychiatric building. [IMAGE: Snoop Junkie - Rochester Urban Exploration Squad]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-state-hospital-walters-building-04.jpg)
![Aerial drone footage of Rochester; the subway and Carnegie Place after fire. [IMAGE: Ander Kazmerski]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-carnegie-building-drone-video-01.jpg)
![A recent report from Stantec outlines recommendations and suggestions for the redevelopment of Union Street after the Inner Loop is filled. [IMAGE: Philip Michael Brown Studio / City of Rochester]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-inner-loop-development-00.jpg)
![I noticed grass growing on the piles of dirt in the Inner Loop construction project today. It’s as if nature can’t wait for the filling in of the Inner Loop to complete before reclaiming the land. [PHOTO: Matthew Ehlers]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-innerloop-fill-grass.jpg)
![Scene from 'Infiltration'. An interpretive dance film shot in the abandoned Rochester subway tunnel. [IMAGE: Breakbone DanceCo.]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-subway-dance-video-01.jpg)
![Vintage swimwear. Rochester NY. [IMAGE: Albert R. Stone]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-vintage-swimsuits.jpg)
![Sticky Lips BBQ owner Howard Nielsen went to NYC on June 15, 2015, to speak at the NY State Wage Board hearings. [PHOTO: Google Streetview]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/sticky-lips-owner-fights-minimum-wage-01.jpg)
![The Girl From Kodak Town [IMAGE: AbeBooks.com]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/the-girl-from-kodak-town-01.jpg)
![ROC Transit Day Treasure Hunt [PHOTO: John Derycke, Derycke Motorsports Photography]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/roc-transit-day-treasure-hunt-2014-01.jpg)
![Landmark Society's Young Urban Preservationists and Slow Road Travel are bringing you Backroads & Byways: Medina, the first in a series of daytrips to check out the roads less traveled and to explore historic places and exciting projects in small towns throughout the region. [PHOTO: Landmark Society of WNY]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/backroads-and-byways-medina-01.jpg)
![On Thursday, June 18, at exactly 9:07a.m. we're going to start the biggest spontaneous dance party ever to take place in downtown Rochester. For the exact location and to learn the dance moves, watch the video. [IMAGE: ReconnectRochester.org]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-flash-mob-01.jpg)
![\"RochesterSubway.com\"](\"https://rochestersubway.com/images/pixel_white.gif\"){kind=tracking}
