On February 26, 1904 a fire leveled 1¾ acres of the Main Street shopping district. The fire started in the Rochester Dry Goods Company and the flames quickly spread west to Saint Paul Street and north across Division Street via a footbridge. Faulty electrical wires in an elevator shaft were to blame. More photos after the jump…
While Rochester searches for its next mayor to take office and begin the arduous task of planning the City’s future, Reconnect Rochester is taking the issues to the candidates and the candidates to the people.
Here’s a fun fact you can impress your friends with on this glorious Friday in Rochester… Today is the 150th anniversary of perhaps the most famous tour stops in Rochester’s history. On February 18, 1861 good ole’ Abe Lincoln popped in to say ‘Hey dudes!’.
Every year the BBoy BBQ showcases some of the best graffiti crews anywhere in the world—right here in Rochester NY. Live graffiti art, live music, DJs, breakdancing artists, food, etc etc… all free and open to the public. This year rumors are swirling around the Rochester Subway that something big may be brewing…
Effective at 11:59 p.m. Friday December 31 2010, Mayor Robert Duffy will no longer be Rochester’s Mayor. Duffy will be sworn in as Lieutenant Governor of New York on Friday night. The inauguration ceremony will take place at noon on Saturday, January 1.
Did you know when Santa Claus is in a pinch to get toys delivered to all the good little boys and girls on time he jumps on the Rochester Subway? No, of course not—that’s stupid. The Subway closed over 50 years ago.
But, when his crafty elves are looking for gift ideas they check the RochesterSubway.com gift shop. That part is true!
Here are a few nifty ideas shared with me by Rochester Subway fans last year…
I just read an article in Sunday’s Albany Times Union that has me scratching my head. Mark Aesch, CEO of the Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority, wants to consolidate the four big transit authorities of upstate New York—Albany, Syracuse, Rochester, and Buffalo. On the surface it seems to make sense. They each do the same thing in relatively similar cities in a single state. But does Aesch really believe consolidating operations across a 250 mile wide region will lead to better public transit service for all four regions? Or are we witnessing the beginning of a power grab?
You know that creepy dude at your office who always parks his Dodge Neon diagonally across two parking spaces so it won’t get dinged? Pisses you off doesn’t it? Well now you can do something about it.
ABC News ran a story today about a brilliantly simple web site with printable notices you can leave under that jerk’s windshield-wiper…
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 that New York will take whatever federal money is left on the table by newly elected GOP governors in Ohio and Wisconsin.
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…
I can’t put my finger on it but for some reason this little building in an all-but-forgotten part of our city has claimed a big spot in my heart. Maybe because it’s human nature to root for the underdog? Maybe I see the story of Rochester being played out as some sort of metaphor—it’s storied past and it’s uncertain future? And so we fight—with everything we’ve got—to turn the tide.
As an artist, I think I maybe I see things in the world around me that other people can’t or just don’t want to. I find myself squinting all the time; trying to imagine what could be. I can’t look at a paper cup without imagining what it might become if Jonathan Ive had his way with it. I know there are a lot of people who probably see 72 Conkey Avenue as nothing more than an eyesore; and then there are people like me who see something different. And that boys and girls, is why there’s Photoshop…
Yesterday the little boarded up Victorian house on Conkey Avenue caught the attention of Rachel Barnhart, reporter for WHAM 13 News. And for all of my ranting and raving on this site, I could never have told the story as eloquently as she…
If you responded to my plea last week and sent an email to Bret Garwood asking him to stop the demolition of 72 Conkey Avenue, I offer you my sincerest appreciation. As “coincidence” would have it, less than a week after that post on RochesterSubway.com the City Fire Department used the 1879 Victorian building to hold a training session. The photo above was taken on October 18. Now there are great big gaping holes where there was once a roof.
Is this really happening? I know Mr. Garwood received dozens of emails from RocSubway readers, members of Reconnect Rochester, and myself. I can’t help but ask myself is this act in response to those letters? Is the City reading our letters and giggling to themselves? Come to think of it, I didn’t receive a response to the email I sent last week… did you?
Jo and Jim are quite a remarkable pair. She is a retired school teacher. He works for a company that makes all kinds of machine parts, gauges, and valves. Together they represent nothing short of divine intervention for the City of Rochester.
See, Rochester has a ‘list’. On that list are 200 properties, residential and commercial, that have been given the death sentence. These buildings are on the City’s Demolition List—a list that is only growing. There are some 2,800 vacant structures in Rochester today. If they were all torn down not a single neighborhood would be untouched—though some neighborhoods have more than their share of deteriorating buildings. I myself pass through the northern section of Saint Paul Street everyday on my way to work. Not a day goes by that I don’t think to myself, “gosh darn I wish I could save that old building.” Or “golly gee I wish I could buy that old house and fix it up.”
Two weeks ago the World Canals Conference took Rochester by storm and offered the public a glimpse inside the Broad Street Aqueduct Bridge and abandoned subway tunnel. Thousands attended and many tour-goers shared their great photos on our Facebook page . Did you miss all the fun? Well I’ve got good news for you. This Saturday, October 9th, you’ll have another chance to explore Rochester’s historic underbelly…
Word of our Rochester Subway Facebook photo contest has gotten out. At least 20 photos have been uploaded to our Facebook wall since Sunday night and the votes/Likes are piling up. The photo with the most “Likes” by midnight Friday will win a Rochester Subway Poster modern or old-style. All of these photos are outstanding—only one will be crowned. So if you haven’t voted for one (or all of them) yet… hop on over to the RocSubway Facebook page and give that little “Like” button a workout. Or upload your own photo. Here’s a look at the front runners…
I’m raising the stakes on Sunday’s Subway/Aqueduct Tour. Bring your camera with you on the tour, upload your best photo to the RocSubway Facebook page, and campaign for the most votes. You could WIN a Free Rochester Subway map…
There’s really no comparison between this proposed $4 Billion transit station in San Francisco and Rochester’s Mortimer St. Bus Terminal. But watch the video anyway. It just might inspire you enough to come to the Hyatt Hotel tomorrow night…
Tomorrow (Wednesday) night RGRTA will host a 2-hour public workshop from 6-8pm to take ideas for the soon-to-be-built Mortimer St. Bus Terminal. You can protest and “Give ’em Hell”… Or you can give ’em your ideas… and help influence one of the most important public projects in Rochester’s history.
No signup is necessary, and no designs will be presented. Attendees will cycle through four workstations staffed by city and RGRTA officials, who will record people’s ideas for the center’s design. Those ideas will be posted on RGRTA website, www.rgrta.com .
UPDATE: Did you miss the RGRTA Transit Terminal design workshop? To submit your comments or ideas by mail use this form. New designs will be presented to the public on October 27.
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…
Something outstanding is happening in our community—Rochester is catching Bike Fever. Over the past decade or more Monroe County and local municipalities have been steadily making investments in existing off-road trails and in new ones, especially around our colleges, universities and along the river and lake shore. You may have noticed some new ones near you. Bicycling Magazine even placed Rochester on their list of America’s Top 50 Bike-Friendly Cities this year. Albeit at #50, but hey, it’s a good start!
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After the Erie Canal was rerouted south of downtown Rochester, the Rochester
Industrial & Rapid Transit Railway (the “subway”) was built in
its place as a link between the five different railroads and interurban trolley
lines that served the Rochester area. As the industrial landscape of Rochester
changed, and highways replaced the railroads, the Rochester subway gradually
became a relic of a bygone era. In 1956 the subway was abandoned and much of
its route was converted into Interstate 490 — built to connect Rochester
with the New York State Thruway (I-90). Read more about the history of the Rochester Subway.
RochesterSubway.com exists to help spark
public dialogue around how we can better connect the neighborhoods of Rochester
NY, surrounding communities, and their cultural offerings. Rochester’s
future is written in her past. Let's rediscover it.
![On February 18, 1861, Abraham Lincoln addressed over 8,000 Rochesterians from his train's observation platform. He was traveling thru to Washington D.C. for his inauguration. [Cartoon from 'Mr. Lincoln and New York' © 2002-2011 The Lincoln Institute.]](http://rochestersubway.com/images/photos/abraham-lincoln-train.jpg)
![Fireworks over Rochester. [PHOTO: Aaron Giambattista]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-new-year.jpg)
![With a little help from Photoshop, I've taken a shot at illustrating how the storefront at 72 Conkey Avenue could look if the City gave local resident Jim Fraser a chance to apply his skills and vision to the property. [Illustration: Mike Governale]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/72-conkey-avenue-after-cropped.jpg)
![The Rochester Fire Dept. put these gaping holes in the roof of 72 Conkey 5 days after RochesterSubway.com readers emailed the City asking to please save this historic building. [PHOTO: Jim Fraser]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/72-conkey-avenue-demolition.jpg)
![Jim and Jo are in the process of saving and restoring 6 abandoned Rochester properties. They want to save this storefront on Conkey and Clifford Avenue. The City wants to tear it down. You can help. [PHOTO: heckeranddecker.wordpress.com]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/72-conkey-avenue.jpg)
![The Canal Society of New York State will be hosting tours of the Broad Street Aqueduct and subway tunnel this weekend. [PHOTO: Dag Lindquist]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-subway-dag-lindquist.jpg)
Word of our ![Like' this one? Go to Facebook.com/RocSubway and vote! [PHOTO: Brian Killmore]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-subway-brian-killmore.jpg)
![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)
![Rochester is a great city for off-road cycling. The City's Bicycle Master Plan Project will seek to elevate Rochester to full 'Bicycle Friendly Community' status with the League of American Bicyclists' Bicycle Friendly Communities Program. [PHOTO: from Tobo's Flickr stream]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester_genesee_riverway_bike_trail.jpg)
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