All the controversy over whether or not to demolish the 120 year-old brewhouse at 13 Cataract Street got us thinking. Those in favor of demolishing the building say it’s an eyesore and a haven for drug dealers; even prostitutes. So, just remove the building and our problems go away.
Right?
But if we demolished every eyesore in Rochester, would we have solved all the City’s problems? Or might we end up tossing the proverbial “baby” out with the bath water? For the next two weeks we’ll take a look at some local eyesores …or rather, opportunities, nearly lost.
Yet another press release from the Brewery today. They are clearly on the defensive and changing their story every day. Now they say, “the building at 13 Cataract Street will NOT be replaced with a parking lot. See the attached rendering.”
I’m sorry, I just can’t take this rendering seriously. It looks like an episode of South Park unleashed on our streets. But hold on… if the Brewery wanted to put a stage in the place of the historic 13 Cataract building, why did their plans show a parking lot? Is this rendering real; or clever marketing spin? I think the answer lies somewhere in the Zoning Board’s January 19th decision.
Boy oh boy, this Brewery story is getting complicated. So let’s review the events that led to this horrific rendering issued yesterday. Here’s a timeline:
Brewery CEO, Rich Lozyniak, said Thursday that those who want to save 13 Cataract Street are “a very small group of people standing in the way of progress.” I don’t believe tearing down a 120 year old brewing landmark for 27 parking spaces is progress… I’ve always supported the idea of a Brewery Visitor Center. But I also support the effort to save the 120 year old brewhouse across the street (13 Cataract ). And I know I’m not alone…
This Wednesday the Preservation Board will decide whether or not to sponsor a citizen’s request to nominate 13 Cataract St. for Landmark Designation. If they sponsor the nomination it will move on to a public hearing and to the Planning Board for consideration later this month. If they don’t, it could spell the end for this valuable piece of our history and any possible redevelopment on the eastern rim of the High Falls gorge. In the meantime, North American Breweries, Inc. continues to move ahead with work on their visitor center across the street. No problems posed so far by the big bad historic building across the street.
The following is a letter I will be submitting to the Preservation Board (via Peter Siegrist, [email protected]).
Bret Garwood, Director, Business & Housing Development [email protected]
If you would like for 13 Cataract to be preserved, you should do the same. Use the email addresses above. And feel free to steal from my letter if you’d like…
Cars parked in the High Falls neighborhood this week got notices slipped under their wiper blades. RG&E will be demolishing the last Beebee Station smokestack sometime within the next six months due to high levels of asbestos contained within the structure.
Yes, we have a parking problem. Quite simply, there’s too much of it. It’s EVERWHERE. No rhyme or reason or method to the madness. We lost control of this problem decades ago when we bulldozed half of our downtown in the name of urban renewal, and to this very day we continue to allow our few urban spaces and historic buildings to be paved over.
At its best, this is land that’s not being used for any productive purpose but to store our cars on. More than that, these ugly gray patches of land create voids in our community; Dead-zones where no one wants to be for any length of time. These are places not worth caring about. And our city is literally covered with them…
If you’re a snow bunny like me, this winter had been pretty darn cruel until today. Over the past 24 hours Rochester got nearly as much snow as it’s seen all season—and it landed just in time for the 2012 Lakeside Winter Celebration at Ontario Beach. We weren’t able to stick around for the wagon rides and the snow sculpting contest, but I did catch the good part—THE POLAR PLUNGE! If you got stuck at home digging out and missed the action, here’s a short video…
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.
On this Martin Luther King Jr. Day we are hopefully reminded of the inspiring actions and many speeches by an individual who dedicated his life to the pursuit of freedom and basic human rights—not just for one group, but for all people.
Of course, in Rochester we also remember other individuals who made tremendous contributions to this ongoing effort… Susan B. Anthony for women’s rights and suffrage. And Frederick Douglas (depicted above) for the abolition of slavery.
One speech in particular, given by Douglas on July 5, 1852 in Rochester, is arguably one of the most momentous oratories in American history. It’s one that helped set the stage for the transformation of America from a country that was, in Abraham Lincoln’s words, “half slave and half free” to one which was at least on its way to guaranteeing the “blessings of liberty” to all men (and eventually women)…
A few weeks ago I was driving home from my downtown office and happened to have my camera with me. Not sure why but I thought it be interesting to see what I’d capture if I left it on my dashboard for the ride. Now don’t try this at home—distracted driving is not cool. I’m a professional… idiot that is.
Anyway, the results I thought were pretty cool. And it got even cooler with some quick editing and quadruple speed playback. Throw in a mirror effect and some of that dope-ass hip hop music all the kids are listening to… and now we’ve got something worth sharing.
So go ahead—turn down the lights, pump up the volume, and hit it full screen. Let me know what you think in the comments.
Subway Santa is a little late to the party this year. The lack of snow this holiday season has wreaked havoc on his internal clock. We’ve got just two weeks left for Christmas shoppers—even less for Hanukkah. So let’s cut the bull and get right to it. Last year we were inspired by these crafty Rochester Subway gift ideas. This year, Rochester Subway Santa has two more goodies for you.
The spate of recent articles in the D&C regarding local construction projects also means that there will be a great amount of demolition of older buildings and historic properties. Take, for example, the recent decision to demolish the Cataract Brewery buildings in High Falls. The cost to demolish the properties alone—estimated at $800,000 to $1 million—is more than twice the amount for which Genesee Brewery was recently selling the two Cataract Brewery buildings and a large parking lot. That same amount could be used to install a new roof and windows, “button up” the building, and abate the lead paint, within the older “gem” brewery building. Although the oldest Cataract building is currently a “liability” in the words of a developer who recently toured the property, it could actually act as the driver for redevelopment. Historic Preservation Tax Credits, coupled with city, county, state, and federal monies, could pay for at least 30-40% of construction costs, and potentially way more if the City took on the lead abatement costs and Genesee Brewery and its owner, KPS Capital, acted as an investor or partner in redevelopment.
Rendering of renovated buildings and GardenAerial trail
I realize that sometimes it’s a bit difficult to see the potential in something. Especially when that “potential” is hidden beneath layers of mustard yellow paint, rusty corrugated siding, and 25+ years of plain old tired…
The way things look now (click for larger views)
Why, just the other day Howard S. Decker, FAIA said, “” Mr. Decker is former Principal of DLK Architecture (Chicago) and former Chief Curator of the National Building Museum (Washington DC). He knows a thing or two about buildings, and places that are worth saving for future generations. His highly experienced eyes see the potential in 13 Cataract Street and the neighborhood it lives in.
But what about the rest of us? How can we be sure this building is worth the money and effort it will take to bring it back to life? What is the alternative to demolition? And will we lose our Brewery Visitor Center if we don’t tear this other building down??
Let’s start with an excerpt taken from a document filed by the Landmark Society in 1984 with the New York State Parks and Recreation Division for Historic Preservation…
On Friday officials at the Genesee Brewery unveiled plans they say will “create a destination for beer lovers that anchors development on downtown Rochester’s Northeast side.” Before we get too excited, let’s think.
Firstly, did you know Genesee Brewery is owned by a New York City investment firm called KPS Capital Partners? KPS Capital Partners established North American Breweries, Inc. in 2009 to manage its brewery acquisitions. One of those acquisitions was our beloved Genesee. They will tell you North American Breweries is headquartered in Rochester. But Genesee Brewery is no longer a locally owned company.
North American Breweries says their planned “Genesee Brew House…will celebrate the storied history and experience of the Genesee brand” and that they want to “tell the story of [this] resilient company with a rich history that dates back to 1878.” But to do this they will demolish this building; the centerpiece of Rochester’s historic brewing district, built 1899.
The following press release was issued today by North American Breweries, the NYC investment firm that owns Genesee Brewery.
In brief, they plan to renovate an old packaging building, turn it into a visitor center, and level two of the last remaining original buildings in the heart of Rochester’s historic brewing district. The press release claims that the new visitor center “hinges” on the demolition of these historic buildings – not because the new visitor center is being built on the land, but because the old buildings impede the view of High Falls.
What the press release doesn’t mention is that one local group, the people behind the Garden Aerial Project and the Greentopia Festival, expressed interest in these buildings three months ago. They want to renovate the old buildings and turn them into office space and a visitor center in partnership with the brewery. I was told North American Breweries turned them down because the money wasn’t right. So it looks like they will spend $600,000 to demolish the buildings instead. ??
This press release comes at the perfect time for North American Breweries. I learned today that they are planning to submit their application on Monday to demolish 13 Cataract St.
RochesterSubway.com will be 3 years old this January and recently it welcomed it’s 100,000th visitor. While the bulk of this web traffic is local, the website gets a fair amount of visits from every corner of the country. And those visitors are very important. Case in point, Norm from Baltimore, Maryland. Norm read our story about Genesee Brewery wanting to demolish the old Standard Brewing Company Building and he sent us some inspiration from his home town… (more…)
RocSubway has word from good sources this afternoon that Genesee Brewery will submit an application today to demolish this building at the eastern end of the High Falls pedestrian bridge at 13 Cataract Street. This will likely be going to the Zoning Board hearing on Dec 15. Obviously, if true, this would be a great architectural and historical loss for Rochester. If you know anyone with deep pockets, now is a great time to buy!
Last Halloween I posted a ghastly warning about the abandoned Rochester subway tunnel. That warning was sent to us by a reader who claimed he knew people who once lived and died in the tunnel, and that he now feels a strong “spiritual pressure” whenever he returns there.
Jeffrey’s not the only one who feels these strange vibes from the subway tunnel. RochesterSubway.com often receives stories like these from people who claim to have been followed, or chased, out of the defunct subway. Though rarely do we get to see physical evidence of the ghoulish bouncer.
Last week Aaron Killeen sent in this mysterious photo (shown below) and gave a spine-tingling account of a night inside the Rochester subway, which he says he and his friends will not soon forget…
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.
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got us thinking. Those in favor of demolishing the building say it’s an eyesore and a haven for drug dealers; even prostitutes. So, just remove the building and our problems go away.
![A stage where 13 Cataract brewhouse used to be? Not sure if this is serious or not. [RENDERING: Eric Mower and Associates]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/genesee-visitor-center-stage.jpg)
![13 Cataract Street at night. [Flickr Photo: Steven Yacuzzo]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/cataract-brewery-night.jpg)
![This smokestack which belongs to the old RG&E Bee Bee Station power plant has towered over the High Falls neighborhood since the 1940's. [PHOTO: skyscraperpage.com user: xzmattzx]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/high-falls-smokestack-xzmattzx.jpg)
![High Falls, c.1900 [IMAGE: Part of 'Revisiting Rochester' exhibit]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/revisiting-rochester-high-falls.jpg)
![An engraved portrait of Frederick Douglass, noted African-American abolitionist. Douglass was an active abolitionist in the Rochester area and a sought-after lecturer after the Civil War. After his home on South Avenue was destroyed by fire in 1872 he moved to Washington, D.C. [PORTRAIT BY: Ritchie, Alexander Hay, 1822-1895.]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/frederick-douglass-portrait.jpg)
![Subway Santas [Flickr Photo: t_a_i_s]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/subway-santas-t_a_i_s.jpg)
![Genesee Brewery. [Flickr Photo: _Yoshi_]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/genesee-brewery-sign-yoshi.jpg)
![A view of what could one day be Rochester's Historic Brewery Square and entrance to the GardenAerial trail (right). [RENDERING: RochesterSubway.com]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/cataract-rendering-empty.jpg)
![The original panorama photo set used to create the rendering of Brewery Square. [PHOTO: RochesterSubway.com]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/cataract-rendering-original.jpg)
![The building as it was in 1899. [PHOTO: Rochester Public Library]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/genesee-brewery.jpg)
![The recently renovated and beautifully restored American Brewery building in Baltimore, Maryland. [Flickr Photo: Prêt à Voyager]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/american-brewery-baltimore-1.jpg)
![Genesee Brewery getting set to demolish this building. That would be a great loss. [Flickr Photo: Zeus-the-Ferret]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/genesee-brewery-Zeus-the-Ferret.jpg)
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