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 03, 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? For the next two weeks we'll take a look at some local eyesores ...or rather, opportunities, nearly lost.
Powers Building
16 West Main Street
Before Daniel Powers erected the Powers Building in the late 1860s, the site had been home to Hamlet Scrantom's log cabin, the Eagle Hotel and Tavern, and the Powers Banking House. Originally a five-story structure, Powers had two additional stories added as well as a three-story tower so the building would hold its supremacy as Rochester's tallest. A century later the "Grand Old Lady of the Four Corners" had lost its luster and by the 1980s would sit largely unoccupied, deteriorating quickly.
At least five separate efforts to rehabilitate the building failed before Value Properties Inc. (a New York City developer) bought it in 1988 for an estimated $400,000-$500,000, spent $20 Million restoring and renovating it, and reopened it in 1991. While the Powers Building could have easily been lost, today it is widely regarded as an irreplaceable Rochester icon.
And here is the "opportunity" we nearly lost...
Richard Margolis photo-documented the entire restoration process. This "after" photo was taken in 1991 when work was completed. To get the perfect shot, Margolis stood on a 2-foot ledge outside a 4th floor window of the Wilder Building across the street.
Thanks to Caitlin at The Landmark Society for the great information! And thanks to Richard Margolis for the death-defying photos!!
How You Can Help...
Speak out against the demolition of 13 Cataract Street. Send an email to the Brewery and City Hall
and show your support for a larger vision--Rochester's Brewery Square.
on April 4 at 8pm and sign up to speak in favor of preserving 13 Cataract for future development and reuse.
