![Loew's Rochester Theatre, Rochester. On the marquee: Greta Garbo, Charles Bickford, Maria Dressler in “Anna Christie” and on stage Barto and Mann, Harry Girard’s Ensemble, and A. Robbins. Photo by George Mann of the comedy dance team, Barto and Mann. April 26, 1930. [PHOTO: George Mann of the comedy dance team, Barto and Mann. Via Brad Smith's Flickr Stream]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/loews-theater-rochester-01.jpg)
Earlier this week a collection of photos of Rochester’s RKO Palace Theater was discovered thanks to the Rochester Theater Organ Society. Mixed in with those RKO Palace photos were a few interior shots of Rochester’s other lost movie palace… Loew’s Theater. So I thought it only fair to shine the spotlight on this one too. Loew’s Theater also happened to be on Clinton Avenue, just four or five blocks south of the RKO. Xerox Tower 
now occupies the spot. Take a look…
Posts Tagged ‘old photos of Rochester’...
Loew’s Theater: Rochester’s Other Lost Movie Palace
Thursday, October 11th, 2012Tags: downtown Rochester, Loew's Theater, old photos, old photos of Rochester, RKO Palace Theater, Rochester, Rochester history, Rochester NY, South Clinton Avenue, Washington Square, Xerox Tower
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images | 27 Comments »
Never Before Seen Photos of RKO Palace Theater
Sunday, October 7th, 2012![Rochester's RKO Palace Theater during WWII. Main entrance on Clinton Ave. 1942. [PHOTO: D.O. Schultz / Rochester Theater Organ Society]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/RKO-Palace-001-ClintonAveEntrance1942.jpg)
A few weeks after we discovered the RKO Palace Theater floor at the site of RGRTA’s future transit center, Russ Shaner, president of the Rochester Theater Organ Society contacted me. These were the guys who saved the old Wurlitzer pipe organ from the RKO Palace before the building was demolished. And as it turns out, one of their founding members, D.O. Schultz, captured a treasure trove of photographs and left them with the Organ Society before he moved to Florida years ago. Russ asked RochesterSubway.com for help, both archiving the photos, and sharing them with you, the public. Below is part 1 of this awesome collection…
Tags: Clinton Ave, demolition, downtown Rochester, Loew's Theater, Mortimer Street, old photos, old photos of Rochester, RKO Palace Theater, Rochester, Rochester history, Rochester NY, Rochester Theater Organ Society, Russ Shaner, Saint Paul Street
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images | 33 Comments »
Back to Main Street
Friday, September 28th, 2012![Main Street Rochester. c.1908 [PHOTO: Albert R. Stone Collection]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-main-street-then-and-now-1.jpg)
The image above was printed in the Rochester Herald on October 10, 1908. This was Main Street looking east from the Four Corners on a busy day in October. The sidewalks are thronged with pedestrians. Several traffic police are standing at various spots in the intersection. A cluster of westbound trolleys, one labeled “Plymouth” and the other “Saratoga”, have stopped in their tracks. A few people are waiting to board, and others are crossing the street in front of the stopped cars. Several wagons, some covered, are traveling along the street. But then the trolley tracks were ripped up…
Tags: Main Street, old photos of Rochester, Rochester, Rochester history, Rochester NY, vintage postcard, vintage views
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images, Transit + Infrastructure, Urban Development | 70 Comments »
Where’s Cogswell?
Friday, September 21st, 2012![This was the corner of Main and Fitzhugh Streets (1884). Can you find Cogswell? [PHOTO: Rochester Public Library]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-savings-bank-cogswell.jpg)
Often times while I’m doing research for a story, I’ll stumble upon something new and get completely sidetracked. Today I was digging for information on the Academy Building when I found the image above. It’s a shot of the Rochester Savings Bank building located at the corner of West Main and Fitzhugh. The Academy Building is to the immediate left of the bank. But forget the buildings for now. Do you see that strange little man standing in the lower left corner of the photo? That was actually a drinking fountain named Cogswell…
Tags: Academy Building, Cogswell Fountain, downtown Rochester, Dr. Henry D. Cogswell, Fitzhugh Street, fountain, Main Street, old photos of Rochester, Powers Hotel, prohibition, public art, Rochester, Rochester history, Rochester NY, Rochester Savings Bank, sculpture, St. Luke's Church, statue, temperance movement, Women's Christian Temperance Union
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images | 6 Comments »
Today, September 14, in Rochester History: The Seneca Hotel Opens
Friday, September 14th, 2012![The Seneca Hotel, 26 S. Clinton Avenue, south of E. Main Street on the east side of the street. The stores in front, left to right, are Laurabelle's Greeting Cards, Ringclear Hosery Co., and Rochester Cleaning & Dyeing Co. [PHOTO: Rochester Municiple Archives]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-seneca-hotel-front.jpg)
On September 14, 1908 a new 300 room hotel with ballroom, several dining rooms and meeting rooms opened its doors – right smack on the same spot where Windstream (Paetec) is constructing its new building today.
The following article was published in the New York Times on Monday September 14, 1908…
Tags: Albert R. Stone, B. Foreman Co. Department Store, Century Theatre, Clinton Ave, Clinton Avenue, Hearth and Embers Restaurant, Hotel Seneca, Lyceum Theatre, Main & Clinton, Manger Hotel, McCurdy's Department Store, Midtown Plaza, old photos, old photos of Rochester, Rochester, Rochester history, Rochester NY, Sibley's Department Store, South Clinton Avenue, Temple Theatre, this date in Rochester history, Wegman's
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images, Urban Development | 14 Comments »
Snapshots of Rochester’s Labor Days
Sunday, September 2nd, 2012![Six unidentified female railroad workers pose at Lincoln Park Station. The railroad line is the Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburgh Railway Company. In 1917-1918, many jobs traditionally held by men were filled by women, while the men served in the Armed Services in World War I. [PHOTO: Albert R. Stone Collection]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-woman-railroad-workers-c1917.jpg)
“I believe when we’re born into this world we’re entrusted with certain things. Our grandparents trust that we’ll work hard to keep and maintain the world that they’ve broken themselves to build. And our children need us to preserve it, and leave it a little bit better than how we inherited it. Preservation is often difficult. But in many ways it’s all we have to keep us grounded; as a society and as people. Future generations need to know what came before them. What was it that made this city great? Who designed and built this place? Who worked here and why? If we destroy the evidence, we cut our children off from the answers forever; and impede our own ability to progress.”
These are words I live by. They’re also the reason I keep this web site. While my family and I are enjoying this sunny Labor Day weekend on the shores of Lake Ontario, I’ll take pause to think about why we have it so damn good in this time and place. For me, the answer can be found in the portraits that follow. These are some of the men, woman, and even children who labored to make the way of life we enjoy today…
Tags: Adler Bros., Bert Bitting, Buffalo Rochester & Pittsburgh Railroad, East Rochester, Eastman Kodak, Egypt Canning Co., Egypt NY, factory workers, Four Corners, Garment Workers Strike, Hanna's Dryhouse, Hilton NY, history of Rochester, Jerry Kellerer, Kodak, Labor Day, Main Street Four Corners, Merchants' Despatch Transportation Co., Michael Stern Building, old photos, old photos of Rochester, Rochester, Rochester Association of Workers for the Blind, Rochester Brewery Union Members, Rochester history, Rochester Industrial Exposition, Rochester Labor Day Parade, Rochester NY, Rochester Shoe Workers Union, Rochester water supply system, Silver Platers and Metal Polishers Union, strikebreaker, Womans Union Label League
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images | 6 Comments »
RGRTA Digs Up Rochester’s Old RKO Palace Theater
Thursday, August 23rd, 2012
There are few places Rochesterians talk about with such fondness as the old RKO Palace Theater that once stood on Clinton Avenue. Looking at old pictures, I can see why. The place was all dressed up and sparkled inside and out like a glitzy Vegas showgirl. But like many of Rochester’s brick and mortar beauties, she grew old, was chopped up into little pieces, and buried where she stood. All in the name of “urban renewal.” Fast forward fifty years. RGRTA breaks ground on a new bus terminal. And guess what shows up? That’s right – the skeleton of Rochester’s most beautiful movie theater…
Tags: bus terminal, Clinton Avenue, demolition, downtown Rochester, old movie theater, old photos, old photos of Rochester, old theater, Regional Transit Service (RTS), RKO Palace Theater, Rochester, Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority (RGRTA), rochester images, Rochester NY, Rochester Theater Organ Society, RTS Transit Terminal, Saint Paul Street, urban explorers, urban renewal
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images, Rochester News, Transit + Infrastructure, Urban Development | 101 Comments »
New Gallery Exhibit: Revisiting Rochester
Thursday, February 2nd, 2012![High Falls, c.1900 [IMAGE: Part of 'Revisiting Rochester' exhibit]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/revisiting-rochester-high-falls.jpg)
A new exhibition celebrating Rochester’s heritage encourages us to honor and preserve our past as we seek to revive our city for the future. Beginning February 3, a collection of digitally-enhanced images of Rochester during the Progressive Era will be on display at Joe Bean Coffee Roasters [map ] throughout the entire month of February.
Tags: Joe Bean Coffee Roasters, Kind of the Hill, Mike Battle, old photos, old photos of Rochester, Rochester, rochester images, Rochester NY, The Simpsons, vintage views
Posted in Events, Rochester Destinations, Rochester Images, Rochester News | 5 Comments »
1930’s Postcard Decoded
Thursday, October 20th, 2011
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.
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.
Gruss. Karl.
And the English translation…
Tags: aqueduct, Erie Canal Aqueduct, Genesee Aqueduct, old photos of Rochester, prohibition, Rich Rolwing, Rochester, Rochester history, rochester images, Rochester NY, Rochester Subway, vintage postcard
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images | 1 Comment »
Today, August 25, in Rochester History: Railroad Disaster Claims 29; Injures 62
Thursday, August 25th, 2011![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)
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.”
Tags: history of Rochester, Lehigh Valley Railroad, Manchester NY, old photos, old photos of Rochester, rail, rail crash, railroad, Rochester disaster, Rochester history, rochester images, Rochester NY, rochester photos, Shortsville NY, this date in Rochester history
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images, Train/Railroad Stuff | 21 Comments »
Clang Clang Clang … Went the Trolley
Friday, July 8th, 2011
Recently I received an email from a local woman asking for help identifying an old bell with some strange letters. She states quite simply, “I have an old bell with these letters RC&BRR. Can you give me any information on this?” Right away I recognized those letters…
Tags: horsecar, old photos of Rochester, Rochester City and Brighton Railroad Company (RC&BRR), Rochester history, rochester photos, streetcar, transit, transportation, trolley, vintage, vintage trolley bell
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images, Train/Railroad Stuff | 12 Comments »
55th Anniversary of Rochester’s Darkest Day
Thursday, June 30th, 2011![These notices were posted in anticipation of the end of passenger service in the Subway on June 30, 1956. [Image from Railroad.net]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/topics/wp-content/uploads/RSB_notice19571.gif)
As we look back on 55 years without our subway, the U.S. Highway System celebrates its 55th birthday. Coincidence?
Some old photos of Rochester’s lost subway after the jump…
Tags: history of Rochester, New York, old photos of Rochester, Rochester, Rochester history, Rochester NY, Rochester Subway, Rochester Subway photos, Rochester Transit Corporation, this date in Rochester history
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images, Rochester Subway, Train/Railroad Stuff, Transit + Infrastructure | 7 Comments »
Vintage Views of Rochester; 178 and counting…
Sunday, March 13th, 2011
Greetings from Rochester! Lately you may have noticed lots of old images stuck to the sides of the buildings downtown. The images are actually larger reproductions of old postcards—some a century old—and they pay homage to the gorgeous buildings that once lined Rochester’s streets. For the past two years I’ve been collecting a lot of these same vintage postcards. I like to say “vintage” instead of “old” because most of them are new to me – plus I can’t imagine these incredible images ever getting old in the other sense of the word.
Well, I finally did it. It was a monumental task but now you can flip thru my entire collection of vintage Rochester postcard images right from your computer. All 178 views – scanned, uploaded, and labeled for your viewing pleasure…
Tags: Erie Canal Aqueduct, Flickr, Four Corners, Genesee Aqueduct, Genesee River, history of Rochester, Main Street, old photos of Rochester, Ontario Beach, Rochester, Rochester history, rochester images, Rochester Trust & Safe Deposit Company, vintage postcard, vintage views
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images | 3 Comments »
Rochester’s (inspiring) Old Railroad Stations
Saturday, November 6th, 2010
Lots of news has been brewing lately over the future of Rochester’s beat-up, 32-year-old Amtrak station on Central Avenue. Congresswoman Louise Slaughter recently announced that a $1.5 million federal stimulus grant has been awarded to New York state to plan for a new multi-modal station on the site. A $2.5 million appropriation to pay for the station design is expected to pass Congress next month. And Governor-elect Andrew Cuomo has just made it abundantly clear
So for now, let’s just assume that something very interesting is in the works for our pitiful excuse for a train station. This is the perfect time to take a step back in time—to be inspired by Rochester’s grand old stations…
Tags: Auburn Railroad Shed, Bragdon Station, Broad Street, Buffalo Rochester & Pittsburgh Railroad, Claude Bragdon, Clinton Avenue, Court Street, Erie Railroad, Eugene Sintzenich, Exchange Street, High Falls, history of Rochester, Lehigh Valley Railroad, Main Street, New York, New York Central Railroad, old photos, old photos of Rochester, railroad, railroad station, Rochester, Rochester Amtrak Station, Rochester history, Rochester NY, Saint Paul Street, vintage postcard, vintage views
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images, Train/Railroad Stuff | 20 Comments »
Random Subway Memories from Curlew Street
Saturday, September 11th, 2010![Subway tracks from Lexington Avenue bridge near Curlew Street (1940's). [PHOTO: Rochester Municipal Archives]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-subway-lexington-avenue.jpg)
Jim Hall, age 62, of Farmington NY, recently stumbled upon RochesterSubway.com and was immediately taken for a ride down memory lane. So much so that he decided to share with us a few of his fondest memories of the Rochester Subway—his final ride on the very last day of service, and of his grandfather who was a streetcar conductor during the Great Blizzard of 1900! Jim says he and his two older sisters were brought up with a healthy fear of the subway because he was told of a tragic story where a ‘boy lost both legs’ being a bit too close to the tracks. As Jim points out, “it seems strange these days that memories stick with you.” But they certainly do. And the fun part is, we never know which ones will stand out in our mind a half century from now. Here’s Jim’s subway story…
Tags: B&O Railroad, Badge #834, Car #401, Curlew Street, Jim Hall, Lexington Avenue, old photos of Rochester, Rochester, Rochester history, Rochester NY, Rochester Subway
Posted in Rochester Subway, Rochester Subway Stories | 36 Comments »
Summer Subway FREEBIES! Free Rochester Wallpapers
Saturday, July 31st, 2010
I’ve never shared this with anyone before… but I have a disorder. I’m an excessive wallpaper changer. I’m in therapy (and doing a little self-medicating) but still, I have a hard time keeping one background graphic on my computer desktop for more than a day or two (at most). Maybe I have ADHD? Or maybe I just need a life. I CAN’T HELP IT! I just get bored staring at the same image for too long. I tear through so many wallpapers I’ve had to start making my own…
Tags: abandoned subway, abandoned subway tunnel, abandoned tunnel, City of Rochester, desktop backgrounds, desktop wallpaper, downtown Rochester, Erie Canal Aqueduct, free stuff, Freebies, Genesee Aqueduct, Genesee River, Graffiti, history of Rochester, Main Street, New York, NY, old photos, old photos of Rochester, pc wallpaper, photo, photography, Rochester, Rochester history, rochester images, Rochester NY, Rochester panorama, rochester photos, Rochester Subway, subway tunnel, trolley, vintage postcard, vintage views
Posted in Freebies, Rochester Images | 11 Comments »
Today, June 30, in Rochester History: Final Day of Subway Service.
Wednesday, June 30th, 2010On this day, June 30, 1956 in Rochester history…
Service on the Rochester Industrial and Rapid Transit Railway (the “subway”) ended. According to several accounts, the public came out in force to bid farewell to the Rochester subway and an extra car had to be added to handle the crowds. Fifty members of the Metropolitan New York Railway Association held a chartered fantrip, and people crowded platforms and overhead bridges all along the subway route to get their last pictures…
Tags: Canal Boats, General Motors, history of Rochester, Interurbans & Trolleys, New York, NRHS, old photos of Rochester, Rochester, Rochester history, Rochester NY, Rochester Subway, Rochester Subway photos, Rochester Transit Corporation, Rowlands Loop, this date in Rochester history
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images, Rochester Subway, Train/Railroad Stuff | 2 Comments »
Rochester: A City of Quality (1963)
Saturday, June 19th, 2010
In light of some of recent civic developments in our town over the past few months (high speed rail, transit centers, new theaters, etc.) I thought it appropriate to pull this old film out of the archives to take a look at the history of Rochester through the eyes of some good old-fashioned propaganda. Rochester: A City of Quality is the title of a film made in 1963 by Rochester Gas and Electric. The film presents Rochester in the most glowing light possible through a narrative that is clearly a product of Cold War industrialism. In one section the narrator declares “Rochester has made peace with the automobile”. And in another, “Change is necessary to keep competitive in industry as well as cities. If you don’t change, change will change you.”
Tags: film, history of Rochester, Jam Handy, Jam Handy Company, movie, New York, old photos of Rochester, Rochester, Rochester history, Rochester NY, video, vintage views
Posted in Art + Culture, Rochester History, Rochester Images, Video | 2 Comments »
Hey It’s Lilac Time in Lilac Town
Friday, May 14th, 2010
Stop everything… do you smell that? No sir, I showered yesterday so it’s not me. That lovely aroma you just caught a whiff of is coming from Highland Park. Oh yeeeyah, since 1898 Springtime in Rochester means more than just flowers. Flowers are for pansy-ass towns. Here in the R-O-C we do LILACS. So grab your old lady and your Kodak—we’re taking a trip to the early days of Rochester’s Lilac Festival…
Tags: Ellwanger & Barry Children's Pavilion, Frederick Law Olmsted, Highland Park, Highland Park Reservoir, Lilac Festival, Lilac Queen, lilacs, New York, old photos, old photos of Rochester, photo, Pinnacle Range, Rochester, Rochester NY, Trolley and Bus Passes, vintage postcard, vintage views
Posted in Events, Rochester History, Rochester Images | 6 Comments »
Powers Building & Four Corners, 1904
Sunday, January 31st, 2010
We found this old photo of the Powers Building and Rochester’s four corners recently on a vintage photos website called Shorpy.com
Hey, here’s a bit of fun for you… we hid the RochesterSubway.com logo somewhere in the photo. Let’s see which one of you can find it first. And while you’re searching for our hidden logo, here are a few other things you should take notice of…
Tags: architecture, Ashley & Loewenguth, City of Rochester, downtown Rochester, Fidelity Trust, Four Corners, Grand-Union, intersection, Main Street, New York, NY, old photos, old photos of Rochester, Phoenix Mutual Life, Powers Building, Powers Hotel, Rochester, Rochester and Eastern Rapid Railroad, Rochester and Sodus Bay Railway, Rochester history, Rochester NY, Rochester Trust & Safe Deposit Company, Shorpy.com, State Street, trolley, vintage views
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images, Transit + Infrastructure | 9 Comments »
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