Welcome back to Filling In. As you know, we have a soft spot for city-owned property. And in fact, we really like city property that is currently up for sale or out for proposal right now. With that in mind, let’s talk about 19 Eiffel place…
Posts Tagged ‘Filling In’...
Filling In: 19 Eiffel Place
Wednesday, October 22nd, 2014Tags: City of Rochester, development, Eiffel Place, Filling In, Joseph Avenue, Matthew Denker, property for sale, Rochester, Rochester NY
Posted in Reader Submitted Stories, Rochester News, Urban Development | 3 Comments »
Filling In: Wadsworth Square & Marshall Street
Sunday, October 12th, 2014This week on Filling In, we’re going to take a look at one of the sadder surface parking lot+grass field combos in the city. Sure it’s not the only one, but it’s sitting in a built up neighborhood, next to a local grocery store.* Indeed, the walk score of this location is a hefty 86. It’s not for a lack of ideas that nothing is here. Take a look at this prior effort…
Tags: City of Rochester, Filling In, Marshall Street, Matthew Denker, real-estate, Rochester, Rochester NY, Wadsworth Park, Wadsworth Square
Posted in Reader Submitted Stories, Urban Development | 20 Comments »
Filling In: Charlotte Part 3
Tuesday, May 20th, 2014
The following is a guest post submitted by Matthew Denker.
Submit your story today.
Welcome back to our three part series on Charlotte. We’ve arrived at part three. This is it, the omega. If you recall, all the way back in part one, we said this part would be broken up into three sections:
1. Residential and Commercial Development;
2. Transportation; and
3. Governance.
So without further adieu, let’s jump right in. Ok, one quick disclaimer, Charlotte as a whole is pretty big, too big for one little three part column. With that in mind, I’m cutting off Charlotte at Denise Road, similar to the other parts. Maybe someday I can write an addendum addressing the southern portion of the neighborhood. But enough of that – Onward!
Tags: Charlotte, development, Filling In, Matthew Denker, Port of Rochester/Charlotte, Rochester, Rochester NY, urban development
Posted in Opinion, Reader Submitted Stories, Rochester News, Urban Development | 44 Comments »
Filling In: 34 King Street
Sunday, May 18th, 2014
The following is a guest post submitted by Matthew Denker.
Submit your story today.
Dear readers, we interrupt our three part Charlotte series to give you a small morsel of something different before the grand finale. Consider this a palette cleanser, an intermezzo, if you will.
I looked up tired in the dictionary, and found this picture of 34 King Street in the Susan B. Anthony neighborhood. Seeing as the Carriage Factory lofts are being built immediately behind, I think it’s time for a major upgrade here. Allow me to present the all-new 34 King Street…
Tags: 34 King Street, City of Rochester, Filling In, Matthew Denker, real-estate, Rochester, Rochester home for sale, Rochester house for sale, Rochester NY, Susan B. Anthony Neighborhood
Posted in Reader Submitted Stories, Rochester Homes for Sale, Rochester News, Urban Development | 3 Comments »
Filling In: Charlotte Part 2
Thursday, May 8th, 2014
The following is a guest post submitted by Matthew Denker.
Submit your story today.
In part one of our three part Charlotte bonanza, we looked briefly at the history of Charlotte, from its formation in 1792, through its resort years and annexation in the early 20th century. In part two, we’ll look at Charlotte as it is today. Let’s start with the lay of the land. Shown above is the official definition of the city’s neighborhoods. As you know, Charlotte is the one at the top. Zooming in (and switching to Google maps) here’s what we see…
Tags: Charlotte, Filling In, Filling In Charlotte, Matthew Denker, Port of Rochester/Charlotte, Rochester, Rochester history, Rochester NY
Posted in Reader Submitted Stories, Rochester History, Urban Development | 7 Comments »
Filling In: Charlotte, Part 1
Wednesday, April 30th, 2014
The following is a guest post submitted by Matthew Denker.
Submit your story today.
Welcome, readers, to the first of a three part series on Charlotte. This first part will serve as an introduction to the series and a brief history of Charlotte. The second part will be a survey, in the engineering sense, of the current state of Charlotte. It will include the demographics of the neighborhood and the built environment, as they exist today. Finally, the third part will layout a vision for Charlotte that works to harness all of the potential of the neighborhood. This final part will be broken into recommendations for residential and commercial development, transportation, and governance.
The plans described here will be ambitious, but we shouldn’t let ourselves shy away from ambition – as you may know, Charlotte has recently been in the news over some redevelopment plans. While Filling-In believes both plans have virtues, they both have numerous weaknesses as well. Because we are unassociated with any of the plans currently in play, and will believe they are built when we see it, the plans presented here will assume they did not happen, and instead will show a different vision of Charlotte’s future.
But now, we present a brief history of Charlotte.
Tags: Beach Avenue, Charlotte, Charlotte Beach, Filling In, Filling In Charlotte, Lake Avenue, Matthew Denker, old photos, old photos of Rochester NY, Ontario Beach, Ontario Beach Park, Port of Rochester/Charlotte, Rochester, Rochester history, Rochester NY
Posted in Reader Submitted Stories, Rochester History, Urban Development | 30 Comments »
Filling In: 79 North Clinton
Friday, March 28th, 2014
The following is a guest post submitted by Matthew Denker.
Submit your story today.
Fellow Rochesterians, lend me your ears. I recently visited the reasonably pleasant city of Portland, OR. While I was there, I couldn’t help but notice a rather cleverly decorated, midcentury modern building. It was this one, actually…
Tags: 79 North Clinton Avenue, downtown, downtown Rochester, Filling In, Matthew Denker, North Clinton Avenue, Portland, Rochester, Rochester NY
Posted in Opinion, Reader Submitted Stories, Urban Development | 25 Comments »
Filling In: 93 Marsh Street
Thursday, February 20th, 2014
The following is a guest post submitted by Matthew Denker.
Submit your story today.
Imagine you are the new owner of a giant, underutilized parking lot*. What would you do with it? Would you leave it as is? Tear out the pavement and start a community garden? What if there was an apartment building next to it. Would you tear it down and build a skyscraper? These are all excellent ideas. We here at filling in solicited input from a variety of fellow RochesterSubway.com contributors, and it’s clear that we all have different ideas about what to do…
*Disclaimer – I am a new part owner of a giant, underutilized parking lot. This one, in fact.
Tags: City of Rochester, development plans, Filling In, Genesee Street, Matthew Denker, Rochester, Rochester NY, vacant lot
Posted in Opinion, Reader Submitted Stories, Urban Development | 11 Comments »
Filling In: 446 Genesee St.
Thursday, December 5th, 2013
The following is a guest post submitted by Matthew Denker.
Submit your story today.
Welcome back, readers. It’s been a while. Today I’d like to look at a project that we could bring into the pipeline almost immediately. I say could, because there are almost assuredly zoning issues with what I’m proposing. That said, we could still get rolling on it immediately, because the site happens to already be on the market for $10,000! Let’s see what we’re getting for our money, what we’re building, and some numbers on the whole thing…
Tags: American Foursquare, architecture, cargo container architecture, Charleston Single, City of Rochester, Craftsman, development plans, Filling In, Genesee Street, Matthew Denker, Plover Street, Rochester, Rochester NY, vacant lot, Victorian
Posted in Opinion, Reader Submitted Stories, Urban Development | 6 Comments »
Filling In: Old Sherwood Shoe Company Site
Tuesday, August 20th, 2013
The following is a guest post submitted by Matthew Denker.
Submit your story today.
One of the sites that the city has, let’s say aspirationally, earmarked for development is the site of the former Sherwood Shoe Company. The shoe company itself was incorporated in 1905 by Frederick A. Sherwood, and the factory for it was built on this site at roughly the same time. I’m less sure when it was torn down, but it is on the 1935 plat maps, so it was certainly there through the depression. (UPDATE: the photo above is from 1956)
As for what to do here, I think there are a million great ideas, and I am hoping that we are able to get a good conversation of the various uses: lofts where the factory used to be? More houses? All of these things and more? All great ideas, and I’m not one to come to the table empty handed, so let’s take a look at what I think should go here.
Tags: cargo container architecture, City of Rochester, development plans, Filling In, Goodman Street, I-490, Matthew Denker, Rochester, Rochester NY, Sherwood Shoe Company, South Clinton Avenue, Tumbleweed Homes, Uhlen Place, vacant lot
Posted in Opinion, Reader Submitted Stories, Urban Development | 17 Comments »
Filling In: 19-23 Berlin St.
Sunday, July 14th, 2013
The following is a guest post submitted by Matthew Denker.
Submit your story today.
Welcome back dear readers. Today we’re going to try something a little different at Filling In. Let’s actually walk through a lightweight proposal in response to the city’s RFP for 19 and 21-23 Berlin St (due by 4pm this Friday, 7/19). Just as a disclaimer; I do not intend to submit this proposal. Additionally, you are welcome to take it and submit it, but I am not to be held liable for any damages should you do so.
Tags: Berlin Street, City of Rochester, Filling In, Matthew Denker, Rochester, Rochester NY, vacant lot
Posted in Opinion, Reader Submitted Stories, Urban Development | 9 Comments »
Filling In: Midtown Site 6
Thursday, July 11th, 2013
The following is a guest post submitted by Matthew Denker.
Submit your story today.
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:
Tags: Atlas Street, development plans, downtown Rochester, Elm Street, Euclid Street, Filling In, Matthew Denker, Midtown Plaza, Rochester, Rochester NY
Posted in Opinion, Reader Submitted Stories, Urban Development | 17 Comments »
Filling In: Holmes Tract
Wednesday, May 29th, 2013
The following is a guest post submitted by Matthew Denker.
Submit your story today.
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.
Tags: 933 University Avenue, Anderson Avenue, Atlantic Avenue, demolition, development plans, Filling In, George Eastman House, Holmes Tract, Matthew Denker, Monroe Voiture, Neighborhood of the Arts, Norwood Street, NotA, preservation, preservation district, Rochester, Rochester NY, University Avenue
Posted in Opinion, Reader Submitted Stories, Urban Development | 62 Comments »
Filling In: 933 University
Monday, May 20th, 2013
The following is a guest post submitted by Matthew Denker.
Submit your story today.
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…
Tags: 933 University Avenue, demolition, development plans, East Avenue, Filling In, George Eastman House, Matthew Denker, Monroe Voiture, Neighborhood of the Arts, NotA, preservation, preservation district, Rochester, Rochester NY, University Avenue
Posted in Opinion, Reader Submitted Stories, Urban Development | 42 Comments »
Filling In: 88 Elm
Thursday, March 28th, 2013
The following is a guest post submitted by Matthew Denker.
Submit your story today.
As some of you may or may not know, the city has finally released a Request for Proposals (RFP) on 88 Elm Street . Up front, here’s a link to the RFP , in case you run a development company, or if you’re Larry Glazer and you’re looking for another project to work on.
In any event, here’s some background on 88 Elm St. Somehow, despite being built sometime in the 60s, no one is exactly sure when 88 Elm St. was constructed, or where, exactly, it came from. You’d think that’d be impossible in this day and age, but it’s not. In 1998, the city decided it had enough of the owners of the property not paying their taxes and they took it. All well and good, except now it’s been empty for 15 years. It’s emptier than you might think. The city spent more than a million dollars on an asbestos abatement and a new roof. The building has no electrical system, no sprinkler system, no HVAC, no plumbing. It is a completely bare 13 story tower. That’s a bit of a rarity, and it could be yours for only $360,000. Apparently that’s the market rate for the 13-story husk of a building…
Tags: 88 Elm Street, adaptive reuse, development, downtown, downtown Rochester, Elm Street, Filling In, Matthew Denker, Midtown Plaza, Rochester, Rochester NY, urban design
Posted in Opinion, Reader Submitted Stories, Urban Development | 16 Comments »
Filling In: Avon Place
Friday, March 15th, 2013
The following is a guest post submitted by Matthew Denker.
Submit your story today.
One of the best places to put additional density is near public parks. Why you ask? Well, that’s an excellent question. Not only do parks double as excellent backyards that homeowners don’t need to mow, but they provide excellent views (that will never go away), and density around parks makes the parks themselves more attractive to passers-by.
All of this translates to adding housing around pre-existing parks. This should be a priority for the city. While I am hoping to tackle a master plan for Brown Square Park (by Frederick Law Olmsted, no less!), let’s start out with something a little smaller…
Tags: Avon Place, development, Filling In, Fountain Street, infill development, Matthew Denker, Otto Henderberg Square Park, Rochester, Rochester NY, Swillburg, urban design
Posted in Opinion, Reader Submitted Stories, Urban Development | 27 Comments »
Filling In: 759 Park Ave
Wednesday, March 6th, 2013
The following is a guest post submitted by Matthew Denker.
Submit your story today.
Well, dear readers, I must admit that this is not exactly what I had planned when I left you the last time. That said, please bear with me while we look at something a little bit different.
John Baker, Steve Gullace, Chris Gullace have proposed to construct a new gym and a 48 unit apartment building at 759 Park Ave . The gym would be for the Talmudic Institute next door, while the apartments would be for rent. This has, not surprisingly, drawn a raft of criticism from the residents of the Park Ave neighborhood…
Tags: 759 Park Ave, Chris Gullace, development, Filling In, infill development, John Baker, Matthew Denker, Park Avenue, Rochester, Rochester NY, Steve Gullace
Posted in Opinion, Reader Submitted Stories, Rochester News, Urban Development | 49 Comments »
Filling In: Monroe Ave
Thursday, February 21st, 2013
The following is a guest post submitted by Matthew Denker.
Submit your story today.
Last week RocSubway learned that developer Thomas Masaschi is converting the old Ted Cohen’s Office Furniture store into three upscale penthouses, lofts and retail space on the first floor. You know the place ; behind the Hess gas station on Monroe Ave. So we thought, for this week’s edition of “Filling In,” why not look at Monroe Ave, and how we could make one of Rochester’s most walkable strips even better! We’ll focus on a few small changes that could be implemented quickly, and then a few bigger ideas for the corridor going forward…
Tags: 7-eleven, Amherst Street, Arby's, Autozone, Barnes Dance, Brueggers, Dac Hoa, diagonal crosswalk, Dunkin Donuts, Filling In, Goodman Street, Matthew Denker, McDonald's, Monroe Avenue, Oxford Street, Pizza Hut, Rutgers Street, Sumner Park
Posted in Reader Submitted Stories, Rochester Images, Urban Development | 66 Comments »
Filling In: Capron/Geva
Wednesday, February 6th, 2013
The following is a guest post submitted by Matthew Denker.
Submit your story today.
Welcome back! Last week we looked at a block that almost had it all. This week, let’s see what we can do on a much larger scale with a block that needs a little more work. A roughly 600’x600’ square mega block at the southern entrance to downtown. There are a few good things going on here; Geva Theater , Capron Lofts , Plan Architects . And, a few not so good; a sweeping highway off-ramp, a GIANT parking lot across the street from TWO garages, and random weedy surface lots…
Tags: Capron Street, Clinton Ave, Clinton Avenue, development, downtown, downtown Rochester, Filling In, Geva Theater, infill development, Matthew Denker, Merkel Donohue, Rochester, Rochester NY, St. Mary's Place, urban design
Posted in Reader Submitted Stories, Rochester Images, Urban Development | 19 Comments »
Filling In: 18-26 Exchange
Tuesday, January 29th, 2013
The following is a guest post submitted by Matthew Denker.
Submit your story today.
Welcome to the first post in what will be an ongoing series called Filling In. One of the key elements of any great city is a tightly knit urban fabric. Whether you’re in New York City, San Francisco, or our own beloved Rochester, building an appealing city scape at a human, walkable scale promotes health, wealth, and wisdom. We’ve also learned that parks next to parks next to barren windswept plazas don’t put butts in seats, as they say. With that in mind, Filling In aims to explore vacant or underutilized pieces of Rochester in an effort to rebuild or strengthen our built environment. The aerial photo above was taken in 1929, when downtown was dense and energetic. And here is a reminder of what we’re up against…
Tags: development, downtown, downtown Rochester, Exchange Boulevard, Exchange Street, Exhange, Filling In, infill development, Matthew Denker, Rochester, Rochester NY, urban design
Posted in Reader Submitted Stories, Rochester Images, Urban Development | 34 Comments »