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 July 16, 2012 and can be found here.
With all of this amazing summer weather lately, I've taken the opportunity to enjoy some long bike rides up and down the lower Genesee River Gorge. A few nights ago I made my way all the way up to the beach at Charlotte via Lake Ave and took the bendy turn onto Beach Avenue. Not too far beyond the Ontario Beach Pavilion I noticed the sidewalk diverges from the street, making a rather abrupt turn between some very handsome looking beachside homes. So, I followed it. And I left the city of Rochester far, far behind...
I couldn't believe what I was seeing really. I had found a little slice of coastal New England right here in rickety ole Rochester.
This is the Beach Avenue Historic District - established in 1987. A row of homes and elegant gardens sitting atop a bluff overlooking the big lake. (Click the panoramic image above for a larger view)
The side walk is a city-owned right-of-way but it felt like I had broken into some exclusive beachfront community because it runs behind the homes - between them and their private beaches. According the City's website, this sidewalk once bordered a street. You can see this lost street in the 1936 plat map below...
It's long been replaced with beautiful lawns and gardens, but the sidewalk remains (fortunately for me). Looks like there was a bit more beach in 1936... and a pier!
Ah ha... I found the remnants of that missing pier (above). The gulls don't mind a bit. In fact, the birds seem to have it just as nice as the people in this neighborhood. There are bird houses everywhere I look. More like bird McMansions...
So, if you're in the neighborhood stop and visit this place. The homeowners are very friendly, just mind your manners and walk your bike. Here it is on Google Maps
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Believe me when I say, my photos do not fully convey the beauty of this place. The breeze, the sailboats, the birds chirping and the waves lapping the shore are just icing on the cake. Because the "cake" would have to be the two dozen or so early 1900's homes sitting so proudly against this backdrop. Posing for their portraits like well mannered show dogs.
As I peddled back home I asked myself repeatedly... why in the world does Rochester only have eight of these Historic Preservation Districts
??
