![Gilbert Hunt was a trolley and bus operator with Rochester Transit Corporation for 40 years. His collection of transit passes is up for grabs. [IMAGE: From the collection of Gilbert Hunt]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/Gilbert-Hunt-1948-02-22_D&C.jpg)
Gilbert Hunt was a trolley and bus operator for Rochester Transit Corporation (the predecessor organization of RTS) from 1907 to 1948. When Gilbert retired in 1948 the Democrat & Chronicle published a story about him and his impressive collection of Rochester transit passes which he amassed over his long career. That collection is now up for grabs…
Archive: ‘Rochester Images’...
Rochester History Reflected in Collection of Bus Passes
Tuesday, August 15th, 2017Tags: Gilbert Hunt, Rochester, Rochester NY, Rochester Transit Corporation, Trolley and Bus Passes
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images, Rochester Subway, Rochester Subway Stories, Train/Railroad Stuff, Transit + Infrastructure | 2 Comments »
Rochester 1982
Wednesday, October 19th, 2016![Downtown Rochester from the Cascade District [PHOTO: Rochester City Hall]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/topics/wp-content/uploads/Downtown_From_Cascade.jpg)
While poking around the Rochester Image Database that the Monroe Public Library so lovingly maintains, I bumped into a series of 24 aerial photographs taken in 1982. That in and of itself wouldn’t be the most interesting thing ever, except the images portray Rochester in the middle of an incredible transition to be much closer to the city we know now than the one anyone might have recognized from before.
Tags: BCBS, Can of Worms, Charlotte, Convention Center, Corn Hill, Corn Hill Commons, County Offices, High Falls, Hotel Rochester, implosion, Inner Loop, Lower Falls, Matt Denker, Matthew Denker, North Chestnut Street, Rochester Aerial Photography, South Wedge, Strong
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images | 14 Comments »
Not In My Front Yard
Sunday, September 11th, 2016![Some neighbors who live along this road in Irondequoit would like sidewalks. Others would not. [IMAGE: RochesterSubway.com]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/no-sidewalk-sign-01.jpg)
When Andrea Chervenak received a letter earlier this year from the Town of Irondequoit notifying her that a sidewalk was being proposed for her street, she was thrilled. Unfortunately for Andrea, her neighbors’ front lawns are more important than her children’s safety. To hammer this nonsensical point home, some people even made lawn signs…
Tags: Active Transportation, Andrea Chervenak, Irondequoit, Oakridge Drive, Rochester NY, Safe Routes to School, sidewalks, suburbs, West Irondequoit School District
Posted in Opinion, Rochester Images, Rochester News, Transit + Infrastructure | 6 Comments »
Inside RG&E Beebee Power Plant – Just Before (and during) Demolition
Tuesday, August 30th, 2016![RG&E Beebee power station prior to demolition. Rochester, NY. Summer 2016. [IMAGE: Anonymous]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-rge-beebee-station-00.jpg)
The following is a guest post submitted by an anonymous source. Submit your story today.
RG&E’s Beebee power plant was one of the most formidable structures in Rochester. For half a century, this cluster of buildings covered an 8 acre site along the floor of the High Falls gorge – climbing up the west rock wall and looming hundreds of feet in the air over Platt Street and the neighborhood below…
Tags: abandoned, abandoned places, abandoned power plant, demolition, High Falls, infrastructure, power plant, RG&E Beebee Station, Rochester, Rochester Gas & Electric (RG&E), rochester images, Rochester NY, rochester photos, urban exploration
Posted in Architecture, Reader Submitted Stories, Rochester History, Rochester Images, Transit + Infrastructure, Urban Exploration | 26 Comments »
Inside 65-67 Chestnut St. – Old Hotel Richford
Sunday, May 15th, 2016![Old Richford hotel building at 65-67 S. Chestnut Street, Rochester. [IMAGE: Anonymous]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/richford-building-65-67-chestnut-rochester-00.jpg)
The following story was submitted by ThisApparatusMustBeUnearthed.com
Since I’ve lived downtown I’ve had my eyes on this building. Not for much good reason except that it was there, and waiting. But despite being so close, it always stayed locked up and out of reach. In fact, over the years it seemed to defy everyone’s best efforts to occupy it – including those of its many owners…
Tags: 65-67 Chestnut Street, Cadillac Hotel, Chestnut Street, downtown Rochester, Elm Street, Ford Hotel, Hotel Cadillac, Hotel Ford, Hotel Richford, R.T. Ford & Company, Richard T. Ford, Richford Hotel, Rochester, Rochester NY
Posted in Architecture, Reader Submitted Stories, Rochester History, Rochester Images, Urban Development, Urban Exploration | 20 Comments »
Old Family Photos
Sunday, April 3rd, 2016![Fast ferry on it's way to Rochester from New York Harbor, 2004. [IMAGE: RochesterSubway.com]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-fast-ferry-in-new-york-harbor-07.jpg)
There’s no real reason for this post. I was going through old family photos this weekend and stumbled upon these ones from a boat tour around Manhattan island my wife and I took in 2004. By complete coincidence we sailed directly in front of the infamous Spirit of Ontario I 
(a.k.a. Fast Ferry) on her maiden voyage to Rochester…
Tags: architecture, Fast Ferry, Manhattan, New York City, NYC, Rochester, transportation
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images, Transit + Infrastructure | 4 Comments »
Save the Letchworth Park Rail Bridge
Tuesday, February 16th, 2016![Portageville rail bridge at Letchworth State Park, NY. [IMAGE: Richard H. Jordan III]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/letchworth-portageville-bridge-07.jpg)
The following is a guest post submitted by Richard H. Jordan III.
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Letchworth Bridge in southern Letchworth State Park celebrates its 141st birthday this year (built 1875) and will be replaced by a new steel arch bridge about 75 feet to the south. The new bridge will take approximately 3 years to complete. During that time efforts will be made to turn the original bridge into a pedestrian walkway similar to the hugely successful Poughkeepsie NY bridge crossing the Hudson River and gorge—now a New York State Park…
Tags: demolition, Genesee River, Letchworth State Park, National Register of Historic Places, New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), New York State Historic Preservation Office, Norfolk Southern Railroad, Portageville Rail Bridge, rail, rail bridge, Richard H. Jordan III, Walkway Over the Hudson
Posted in Architecture, Opinion, Rochester Destinations, Rochester History, Rochester Images, Rochester Subway Stories, Train/Railroad Stuff, Transit + Infrastructure | 7 Comments »
Inside Abandoned Medley Centre (a.k.a Irondequoit Mall)
Sunday, January 24th, 2016![Abandoned Medley Centre / Irondequoit Mall. Rochester, NY. [IMAGE: Random Retail, Flickr.com]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-medley-center-irondequoit-mall-01.jpg)
By Snoop Junkie
Last week Medley Centre finally went up for auction. Angelo Ingrassia, former owner of Irondequoit Dodge, won the vacant building plus nine adjoining properties for the bargain basement price of $100,000.
The following images were taken last month (December 2015) inside Medley Centre…
Tags: abandoned, abandoned mall, Irondequoit Mall, Lonely Medley Centre, Medley Center, Medley Centre, Rochester, Rochester NY, Skyview, Skyview on the Ridge, Snoop Junkie
Posted in Architecture, Rochester Destinations, Rochester History, Rochester Images, Rochester News, Urban Development, Urban Exploration | 32 Comments »
Abandoned Glass House
Saturday, December 26th, 2015![In late October I got the opportunity to go check out a place nearby that I had heard rumors about—a house that has been frozen in a state of construction since 2005. [PHOTO: Anonymous]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-abandoned-glass-house-01.jpg)
The following story was submitted by an anonymous photographer.
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In late October I got the opportunity to go check out a place nearby that I had heard rumors about—a house that has been frozen in a state of construction since 2005. I don’t really feel comfortable sharing the exact location, but the property is in Fairport, NY, out near Egypt on a nice, quiet residential street – surrounded by woods and shrouded in mystery…
Tags: abandoned, abandoned house, abandoned mansion, Egypt NY, Fairport, glass house, Rochester, Rochester NY, suburbs, urban exploration
Posted in Architecture, Reader Submitted Stories, Rochester Images, Urban Exploration | 13 Comments »
Downtown Model Train Display Restored; PLUS a Peek at The Metropolitan
Thursday, December 17th, 2015![An old model train display has been dusted off and restored at the former Chase Tower in downtown Rochester. [PHOTO: RochesterSubway.com]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-chase-tower-metropolitan-tower-01.jpg)
The following story was submitted by Gallina Development Corp..
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Gallina Development , with the help of the Rochester Model Railroad Club , has restored a favorite old model railroad display for the holiday season. The model trains, which have sat in storage for a decade, will be in the lobby of The Metropolitan (formerly Chase Tower) at One Chase Square in Downtown Rochester through the holidays…
Tags: Chase Tower, downtown, downtown Rochester, Gallina Development, holidays, Iron Horse Club of Rochester, miniature, model railroad, model trains, One Chase Square, Rochester, Rochester history, Rochester Model Railroad Club, Rochester NY, The Metropolitan, trains, urban development
Posted in Reader Submitted Stories, Rochester Destinations, Rochester History, Rochester Images, Rochester News, Train/Railroad Stuff, Urban Development | 13 Comments »
Murder, In the Barroom, With the Potato Peeler
Wednesday, December 2nd, 2015![Wulff's Hotel, at the corner of State and Factory Streets in Rochester; the scene of a notorious murder on December 18, 1920. [IMAGE: From the Albert R. Stone Negative Collection, Rochester Museum & Science Center, Rochester, NY.]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/wulffs-hotel-and-rochester-marshmallow-company.jpg)
While doing research for a recent story on the Rochester Marshmallow Company, we came across another interesting story right around the corner. This one had nothing to do with marshmallows. Wulff’s Hotel (shown above) at the corner of State and Factory Streets, was the scene of a notorious murder case…
Tags: Factory Street, Harold Ducky Holmes, High Falls, history of Rochester, murder, Otto L. Wulff, Rochester, Rochester history, Rochester NY, State Street, The Mills at High Falls, Thomas Cleary, Wulff's Hotel
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images | 3 Comments »
Abandoned Cars in the Four Mile Creek Preserve
Sunday, November 22nd, 2015![Abandoned cars in the Four Mile Creek Preserve trails. Webster, NY. [IMAGE: Nate Sengillo]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-four-mile-creek-preserve-abandoned-cars-01.jpg)
The following is a guest post submitted by Nate Sengillo.
Submit your story today.
Rochestersubway.com was first brought to my attention when I saw the University of Rochester’s Lost Swimming Pool article posted on social media. The photos were so beautiful and haunting that I was inspired to explore more on the site.
I was just starting to get into urban exploring and Rochestersubway.com showed me amazing locations in Rochester that I had never heard of. So I started to use the website as a reference for new places to explore…
Tags: abandoned, abandoned plac, Four Mile Creek Preserve, Lake Road, Nate Sengillo, Philips Road, photo, photographer, photography, Rochester, Rochester NY, Salt Road, urban exploration, Webster, Webster NY
Posted in Reader Submitted Stories, Rochester Images, Urban Exploration | 1 Comment »
View of Downtown Rochester from Kodak Tower
Tuesday, November 17th, 2015![View of downtown Rochester from Kodak tower. [IMAGE: Rochester Public Library Local History Division]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-state-street-from-kodak-tower-00.jpg)
Here is a neat view I came across while rummaging around in the Local History Department at the Rochester Public Library. The image is of State Street with downtown Rochester in the background, taken from one of the top floors of Kodak tower…
Tags: downtown Rochester, Granite Building, history of Rochester, Hotel Seneca, Kodak Tower, Lincoln Alliance Building, old photos, old photos of Rochester, old photos of Rochester NY, Rochester, Rochester Chamber of Commerce, Rochester NY, Sibley Building, Sibley's, Sibley's Department Store, State Street
Posted in Architecture, Rochester History, Rochester Images | 8 Comments »
Inside the Abandoned Vacuum Oil Refinery
Tuesday, November 10th, 2015![Abandoned Vacuum Oil building. Flint Street, Rochester, NY. [IMAGE: Snoop Junkie]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/vacuum-oil-refinery-rochester-02.jpg)
By Snoop Junkie
Welcome to the old Vacuum Oil plant on the west bank of the Genesee River in Rochester’s Plymouth-Exchange neighborhood. Abandoned for nearly a century, there has been very little desire to re-develop this 26-acre site due to contamination. Now, the City of Rochester is aiming to use New York State’s Brownfield Opportunity Areas program to clean it up and plan for its future redevelopment. But as of today, this property is still highly toxic. And you guessed it—we’re going inside…
Tags: abandoned, abandoned places, ExxonMobil, Flint Street, Hiram Bond Everest, history of Rochester, Matthew Ewing, Mobil Oil Company, Plymouth Avenue, Plymouth-Exchange, Rochester, Rochester history, Rochester NY, Snoop Junkie, Snoop Junkie Rochester Urban Exploration Squad, Socony Mobil Oil Company, Socony-Vacuum Oil Company, Standard Oil, Standard-Vacuum Oil Company, urban exploration, Vacuum Oil, Vacuum Oil Company, Vacuum Oil Works
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images, Urban Development, Urban Exploration | 22 Comments »
Abandoned Theme Park: Frontier Town
Monday, October 26th, 2015![Frontier Town. [IMAGE: Nate Sengillo]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/frontier-town-abandoned-theme-park-01.jpg)
Last week a Facebook message came in from RocSubway reader, Nate Sengillo. Nate wanted to share photos from his recent trip to Frontier Town. I’ve never been there myself, but I know I’ve heard of this place before as my family has spent more than a few summer vacations at nearby Lake George. But now seeing Nate’s photos, I wish I had…
Tags: abandoned, abandoned places, abandoned theme park, Art Benson, Frontier Town, Frontier Town Then and Now, Iroquois, Jennifer Renee St. Pierre, movie, Nate Sengillo, North Hudson NY, old photos, photography, Ross Mealey, theme park, upstate New York, urban exploration, video, wild west
Posted in Art + Culture, Reader Submitted Stories, Rochester Destinations, Rochester Images, Urban Exploration, Video | 12 Comments »
The Legendary White Deer of Seneca Army Depot
Sunday, September 13th, 2015![White deer at Seneca Army Depot. Romulus, NY. [PHOTO: Matthew Ehlers]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/seneca-army-depot-00.jpg)
The following is a guest post submitted by Matthew Ehlers.
Submit your story today.
For years I’ve wanted to camp overnight near the Seneca Army Depot and see if I could get some photos of the famed Seneca White Deer. Finally, I decided it was worth getting up before sunrise and just driving out there . The morning had perfect conditions. Hazy clouds extended the sunrise until at least 7:30 AM. Prime time activity for the deer population…
Tags: Army Corpse of Engineers, Cayuga Lake, Genesee-Finger Lakes Region, Matthew Ehlers, movie, nature, Odocoileus virginianus, Romulus NY, Seneca Army Depot, Seneca County, Seneca Lake, video, white deer, wildlife
Posted in Reader Submitted Stories, Rochester Destinations, Rochester Images, Transit + Infrastructure, Urban Exploration, Video | 1 Comment »
Bus Graveyard
Tuesday, September 8th, 2015![RTS bus graveyard. [PHOTO: RochesterSubway.com]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-rts-transit-bus-graveyard-00.jpg)
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…
Tags: abandoned places, airport, bus, bus graveyard, Greater Rochester International Airport, GRI Airport, mass transit, mass transportation, public transit, public transportation, Regional Transit Service (RTS), Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority (RGRTA), transit, urban exploration
Posted in Rochester Images, Transit + Infrastructure, Urban Exploration | 9 Comments »
Rochester’s Changing Landscape
Tuesday, August 25th, 2015![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)
The following is a guest post submitted by Nick Russo.
Submit your story today.
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…
Tags: Carnegie building, Charlotte, CityGate, Collegetown, dredging, Eastman Business Park, Golisano Children's Hospital, Google Earth, Google Street View, I-390, Inner Loop, Interstate 390, Kodak building 53, Kodak implosion, Kodak Park, Midtown Plaza, Nicholas Russo, Nick Russo, Port of Rochester, RIT Gene Polisseni Center, Rochester, Rochester before and after photos, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), Rochester NY, satellite image
Posted in Reader Submitted Stories, Rochester Images, Transit + Infrastructure, Urban Development | 4 Comments »
Remembering the Old Rochester Monroe County Airport and Murals
Sunday, August 23rd, 2015![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)
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…
Tags: airport, art, Art Deco, Brighton Securities, George Conboy, Greater Rochester International Airport, history of Rochester, infrastructure, Monroe County Airport, mural, old photos of Rochester NY, Rochester, Rochester history, Rochester NY, rochester photos, transportation
Posted in Architecture, Art + Culture, Rochester History, Rochester Images, Transit + Infrastructure | 17 Comments »
Inside the Abandoned Camp Haccamo, Penfield
Wednesday, August 12th, 2015![Abandoned Camp Haccamo, Penfield NY. [IMAGE: Snoop Junkie]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/camp-haccamo-rochester-56.jpg)
By Snoop Junkie
Since 1955, Camp Haccamo has been a fun filled getaway for both adults and children with varying mental and physical disabilities. First established on Panorama Creek Drive in Penfield (just behind Panorama Plaza), Haccamo was free to the 300 plus campers per year who participated. But in 2009 camp organizers ended their relationship with the town of Penfield and moved to Rush, NY – while, oddly, leaving quite a bit of stuff behind…
Tags: abandoned, abandoned places, Camp Haccamo, Monroe County Rotary, Penfield, Penfield NY, Rochester, Rochester NY, Rotary Sunshine Camp, Rush, Rush NY, Snoop Junkie, urban exploration, Wegman's
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images, Urban Exploration | 43 Comments »
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