This article was scraped from Rochester Subway. This is a blog about Rochester history and urbanism has not been published since 2017. The current owners are now publishing link spam which made me want to preserve this history.. The original article was published April 04, 2012 and can be found here.
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? Over the past two weeks we've reviewed at some local eyesores ...or rather, opportunities, nearly lost. Those include the Flatiron Building , Station 55 , Hoyt-Potter House , Lehigh Valley Railroad Station (Dinosaur Bar-B-Que), Parazin Building , Partners Building , and the Powers Building .
Tonight the Preservation Board and Planning Commission will hear public comments and decide whether or not 13 Cataract will join the ranks of the reborn, or go the way of Rochester's Bragdon Station and others.
Cataract Brewing Company Building
13 Cataract Street
Adam C. Wagner, often referred to as A. C. Wagner, was the architect and designer of more than 50 American breweries during his lifetime. Most significantly for the Rochester community, in 1890 he designed this impressive brewhouse for the Standard Brewing Company. Eventually the building would be named after one of only five Rochester breweries to survive Prohibition--the now defunct Cataract Brewing Company.
At the time of this writing we know of only two other A.C. Wagner brewhouses still standing-- Weisbrod & Hess Brewery
in Philadelphia and Steigmaier Brewery
in Wilkes-Barre, PA. The Cataract Brewhouse represents one of the last remaining pre-prohibition era brewing facilities in Rochester. Its future is now question as the current property owner plans to demolish it for additional parking.
Here's the "eyesore"...
And here is the "opportunity" we are set to lose...
How You Can Help...
Speak out against the demolition of 13 Cataract Street.
Attend the public hearing
tonight at 8pm and sign up to speak in favor of preserving 13 Cataract for future development and reuse.
