forming an alliance?
The fins of the modernist, circa 1973, Chase Tower seemingly straddle the neo-classic, circa 1926, Alliance Building from this vantage point. Straddle? Maybe more of an embrace as their architectural brethren face the wrecking ball.
Walking through downtown Rochester on a Saturday morning reminded me of some kind of dystopian ghost town. On the other side of Chase Tower, Midtown Plaza, a once thriving architectural gem of Mid-century Modern design, is hollowed out and awaiting demolition. A promised 40 story tower which was supposed to be built on the site was scaled back to 8-10 stories, and is now down to 3 or 4 stories...
if it is ever built.
One vacant building after another, locked and dilapidated parks, litter everywhere, landmarks and museums for sale and being sold to private entities... This seems like an entirely different city than the one I left 17 years ago, especially knowing that Rochester was once the country's first "Boom Town."
"Abandonment" is a word that immediately comes to mind. Kodak has abandoned nearly 70,000 local employees through layoffs and outsourcing. Xerox has abandoned it's corporate headquarters for Norwalk, Connecticut, and Rochester's mayor has abandoned the city for the chance of being Lieutenant Governor of New York.
"Irony" is also a word that comes to mind. Rochester was one of the last stops on the Underground Railroad as well as the home of Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony, yet the city is marred by racism and a fear of downtown by many people.
In a city where building implosions have turned into a spectator sport, "Irony" is also seeing crowds of people gather to watch Kodak level blocks of buildings while taking pictures with their Japanese cameras and cheering.
I will never understand the cheering part....
forming an alliance?
The fins of the modernist, circa 1973, Chase Tower seemingly straddle the neo-classic, circa 1926, Alliance Building from this vantage point. Straddle? Maybe more of an embrace as their architectural brethren face the wrecking ball.
Walking through downtown Rochester on a Saturday morning reminded me of some kind of dystopian ghost town. On the other side of Chase Tower, Midtown Plaza, a once thriving architectural gem of Mid-century Modern design, is hollowed out and awaiting demolition. A promised 40 story tower which was supposed to be built on the site was scaled back to 8-10 stories, and is now down to 3 or 4 stories...
if it is ever built.
One vacant building after another, locked and dilapidated parks, litter everywhere, landmarks and museums for sale and being sold to private entities... This seems like an entirely different city than the one I left 17 years ago, especially knowing that Rochester was once the country's first "Boom Town."
"Abandonment" is a word that immediately comes to mind. Kodak has abandoned nearly 70,000 local employees through layoffs and outsourcing. Xerox has abandoned it's corporate headquarters for Norwalk, Connecticut, and Rochester's mayor has abandoned the city for the chance of being Lieutenant Governor of New York.
"Irony" is also a word that comes to mind. Rochester was one of the last stops on the Underground Railroad as well as the home of Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony, yet the city is marred by racism and a fear of downtown by many people.
In a city where building implosions have turned into a spectator sport, "Irony" is also seeing crowds of people gather to watch Kodak level blocks of buildings while taking pictures with their Japanese cameras and cheering.
I will never understand the cheering part....