Wow it’s been a while! This week, Let us take a look at Rochester’s best shot at an iconic piece of post-modern architecture downtown. No, not Midtown Tower. I’m talking about Midtown Plaza’s undeveloped “site 6”. As a quick refresher, here are the current plans:
The shuttered National Clothing building on East Main and Stone Streets will soon be seeing new life as a Hilton Garden Inn. After reading the original post here I wanted to take an opportunity to expand on the history of the building and offer a more in-depth idea of what the rehabilitation entails. The $16 million project is being completed by DHD Ventures and is utilizing historic tax credits. The RBA Group of North Carolina is the project architect and Preservation Studios is providing all services relating to the historic tax credit program.
Oh 1926, it seems like you were only 87 years ago. Oh wait, what, it was only 87 years ago? Ok then. Well, since the Neighborhood of the Arts is receiving so much press these days, let’s take a look at a piece of the neighborhood from then and see what was happening.
Welcoming Costco and RGRTA to CityGate is great. Ignoring walkability and losing all historic buildings isn’t. Our community needs walkable places. We need development that calms traffic and makes walking easy and safe. Moreover, our community needs to preserve its historic fabric. We need development that repurposes old buildings for new uses…
No, seriously – give CityGate to ME, because I want to redesign it. The current plan is not worthy of the name. I may be the only person in western NY who didn’t crap themselves when they learned Costco was coming to town. I mean, Costco? Really? We need another one of these discount warehouses? Ok fine, I’ll let you have your Costco. No complaints from me. On one condition: Re-do this idiotic site plan! Look at this…
A great deal has already been written about the development planned at 933 University Ave. (see: here , here , and here ). Even so, it is important that we take a step back and really think about the kinds of arguments that are being made. Further, let us consider how the neighborhood could benefit from this development, how George Eastman House can meet its needs going forward (and better integrate with Neighborhood of the Arts, as they express a desire to do), and how to move the entire neighborhood towards the increased success it deserves…
Okay, so I’m on the fence – sort of. Remember this proposed apartment complex at 933 University Avenue? After the Eastman House and other neighbors complained about the design, Morgan Management went back to the drawing board (or Photoshop or whatever) and they came back with this…
Two important cases will go before the Zoning Board this Thursday: the ongoing saga of one historic church on Main Street, and design concerns regarding the future College Town. Salvation for the church, as well as the promise of a pedestrian-friendly College Town, may hang in the balance.
First, if you’ve been following the story of the little white church at 660 W. Main Street, owner Marvin Maye will make one more appeal to challenge the building’s status as a Designated Building of Historic Value. If he succeeds, he could have a clear path forward to demolish the 140-something-year-old church.* And in its place would go a Dollar General store…
The I-Square project which was widely celebrated when it was announced last year has gotten tangled up in “negotiations” over local tax deals. Mike & Wendy Nolan want to invest $13 million to build a 7-building project including a new street, sidewalks and outdoor stage / “town square” area. They say they need a 25 PILOT agreement in order to be able to afford to build and maintain the project they’ve proposed. The Town of Irondequoit have offered a 10 year PILOT. Both sides seem to have dug in their heals. Today the Nolan’s posted a video on YouTube to explain (in detail) their 25 Year PILOT proposal “so that any questions can be answered and any misconceptions cleared up.” Watch the video…
I dropped by the Irondequoit Planning Board meeting Monday night because there were two very interesting matters on the agenda. One of those was Irondequoit Square (or I-Square) which RocSubway broke news of here last August. The other involved an all-but-forgotten friend, Chase-Pitkin…
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…
Okay, I haven’t put the time or effort into crafting my own “vision” for the old Midtown Tower, so I’m not going to be overly critical here. But I’m going to show you two concepts for Midtown that were sent to the city this week for review (and 1 wildcard concept). The first drawing (shown on the left) is from local developers Patrick Dutton and Shane Bartholf. It includes 158 for-sale condominiums with large window openings, common or public use of the former restaurant space on the 14th floor, and mixed-use office and retail on the first three floors. As you can see they’ve also added some shiny (albeit blurry) people to their drawing, as well as a lovely solar-flare effect to make the building look extra shiny…
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![The shuttered National Clothing building on East Main and Stone Streets will soon be seeing new life as a Hilton Garden Inn. [PHOTO: Preservation Studios]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/national-clothing-store-01.jpg)
![The corner of Atlantic and Anderson in the Holmes Tract. Gleason doesn't want this lot anymore. Maybe we can put it to good use? [PHOTO: Google Streetview]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/filling-in-holmes-tract-01.jpg)
![The abandoned Iola Tuberculosis Sanatorium, Nurses' Building. [PHOTO: Mike Bouwmeester]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-iola-sanatorium-nurses-building.jpg)
![Plan view of proposed CityGate project. [IMAGE: AJ Costello & Son]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/city-gate-site-plan-01.jpg)
![Proposed new development at 933 University Ave. [IMAGE: Morgan Management]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/933-university-ave-06.jpg)
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