Self-guided Sightseeing Tour #2 in Rochester, United States
Legend
Tour Facts
7.7 km
185 m
Experience Rochester in United States in a whole new way with our self-guided sightseeing tour. This site not only offers you practical information and insider tips, but also a rich variety of activities and sights you shouldn't miss. Whether you love art and culture, want to explore historical sites or simply want to experience the vibrant atmosphere of a lively city - you'll find everything you need for your personal adventure here.
Activities in RochesterIndividual Sights in RochesterSight 1: Rochester City Hall
Rochester City Hall is a historic government building in Rochester in Monroe County, New York. Also known as the Federal Building and Old Post Office, the building was originally built for use by the federal government. It is a four-story, Richardsonian Romanesque style structure with an inner court and tower. It was built between 1885 and 1889 of heavy brown sandstone with a metal skeleton. It was expanded in 1893 and in 1907. The building was designed in part by architect Harvey Ellis under the Office of the Supervising Architect Mifflin E. Bell. The building has served as the City Hall since the 1970s. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.
Sight 2: Hochstein School of Music & Dance
The Hochstein School is an all ages school of music and dance in Rochester, New York The school was founded in 1920.
Sight 3: Monroe County Office Building
Monroe County is a county in the U.S. state of New York, located along Lake Ontario's southern shore. As of 2022, the population was 752,035, according to Census Bureau estimates. Its county seat and largest city is Rochester. The county is named after James Monroe, the fifth president of the United States. Monroe County is part of the Rochester, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county is part of the Finger Lakes region of the state.
Sight 4: Gannett Building
Gannett Building is a historic industrial and commercial building located in Rochester in Monroe County, New York. It is a Classical Revival style structure constructed in 1927, with four major later additions. It was built to house the consolidated offices and newspaper printing facilities for the internationally prominent Gannett Newspapers chain.
Sight 5: Times Square Building
The Times Square Building is an Art Deco skyscraper designed by Ralph Thomas Walker of the firm Voorhees, Gmelin, and Walker located in Rochester, New York, United States. At 260 feet (79 m), it is the eighth-tallest building in Rochester, with 14 floors. The former Genesee Valley Trust Building is a streamlined twelve-story building supporting four aluminum wings 42 feet (13 m) high, known as the "Wings of Progress", each weighing 12,000 pounds (5,400 kg). These structures are among the most distinctive features of the Rochester skyline. The trompe-l’oeil style is used for the decor throughout the building's interior and features various depictions of stylized wheat in reference to Rochester's presence as "the flour city". The building originally hosted a Depression era mural by Carl William Peters (1897-1980) on exhibit from its opening that was later destroyed.
Sight 6: Lehigh Valley Railroad Station (historic)
Lehigh Valley Railroad Station is a historic railway station located at Rochester in Monroe County, New York. The Lehigh Valley Railroad built the station in 1905 but stopped using the station for passenger service in the 1950s. Later the station was used as a bus terminal and then as a night club. In the 1980s the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places and today it houses the Dinosaur Bar-B-Que restaurant.
Wikipedia: Lehigh Valley Railroad Station (Rochester, New York) (EN)
Sight 7: Geva Theatre Center
Geva Theatre Center is a regional, not-for-profit, professional theatre company based in Rochester, New York. It is housed in an 1868 building, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, located in Rochester at 75 Woodbury Boulevard. The Center has full seasons of programming, in addition to discussions based on plays and staged readings, and community outreach.
Sight 8: First Universalist Church of Rochester
The First Universalist Church is a historic Universalist church building located at 150 S. Clinton Ave. in Rochester, New York. Construction began in September 1907 and was dedicated in October 1908. First Universalist Church is affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Association and is one of two Unitarian Universalist congregations in Monroe County, New York; the other being the First Unitarian Church of Rochester.
Wikipedia: First Universalist Church (Rochester, New York) (EN), Website
Sight 9: Central Library of Rochester & Monroe County
The Rundel Memorial Building is a historic library building located at Rochester in Monroe County, New York. It is the original downtown site of the Rochester Public Library, and along with the Bausch & Lomb Library Building directly across the street, serves as the Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County. It is framed in reinforced concrete and faced in smooth Indiana limestone. It consists of three main floors, a mezzanine, two underground levels, a catwalk level above the river, and a penthouse area for equipment. It was constructed between 1934 and 1936, and represents an integration of Beaux-Arts planning and massing with Art Deco detailing and stylization. The building is sited along the east side of the Genesee River directly above the Johnson and Seymour millrace and Rochester Subway. The building was built in part with monies from the estate of Morton W. Rundel and with a grant from the Public Works Administration.
Sight 10: Broad Street Bridge
Erie Canal: Second Genesee Aqueduct, also known as the Broad Street Aqueduct or Broad Street Bridge, is a historic stone aqueduct located at Rochester in Monroe County, New York. It was constructed in 1836–1842 and originally carried the Erie Canal over the Genesee River. The overall length of the aqueduct including the wings and abutments is 800 feet (240 m). The aqueduct is 70 feet (21 m) wide and has large parapets on either side. It is one of four major aqueducts in the mid-19th century Erie Canal system. In 1927, a roadbed was added to carry automobile traffic and named Broad Street. It also carried a part of the Rochester Subway.
Sight 11: East Main Street
Main Street Bridge is a historic stone arch bridge located at Rochester in Monroe County, New York. It was constructed in 1857 and spans the Genesee River. It has five segmental arches with spans of 30 to 42 feet and rises of 8–11.5 feet (2.4–3.5 m).
Sight 12: Andrews Street
Andrews Street Bridge is a historic stone arch bridge located at Rochester in Monroe County, New York. It was designed by city engineer J. Y. McClintock, constructed in 1893, and spans the Genesee River. It has seven segmental arches with spans of 36 feet and rises of nine feet.
Sight 13: Granite Building
The Granite Building is a historic department store building located at 124 East Main Street in Rochester, Monroe County, New York.
Sight 14: Temple Building
The Temple Building is the name of a high-rise building located in Rochester, New York, United States. Standing at 218 feet (66 m), it is the eleventh-tallest building in Rochester. In the early 1920's, Reverend Clinton Wunder, Pastor of the Second Baptist Church of Rochester, NY, convinced his congregation to build the Temple Building. The parish had outgrown their existing church. Wunder thought that a nine-story building would become an economic engine for the Church's mission. Eventually the plans changed to a fourteen-story building. Many in the congregation thought that it was unwise to build a fourteen-story "Skyscraper Church."
Sight 15: Eastman Theatre
Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre is the largest performance venue at the Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester, located in downtown Rochester, New York, United States.
Sight 16: Rochester Contemporary Art Center
The Rochester Contemporary Art Center is a non-profit art center located in Rochester, New York's East End District. The art center is a venue for the exchange of ideas and a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) that was founded in 1977. As a center for contemporary art, it provides encounters for audiences and opportunities for artists. The center exhibits and supports contemporary art of all forms and is well known for its annual 6x6 exhibition. The art center is also known for its popular Makers & Mentors Exhibitions, which combines notable educators with their current and former students. The State of the City exhibitions focus on new urbanism and feature artists from across the region. The organization hosts numerous other curated group exhibitions, collaborations with arts organizations of all kinds, and community-based projects.
Sight 17: National Museum of Play at The Strong
The Strong National Museum of Play is part of The Strong in Rochester, New York, United States. Established in 1969 and initially based on the personal collection of Rochester native Margaret Woodbury Strong, the museum opened to the public in 1982, after several years of planning, cataloguing, and exhibition development for the museum's new building in downtown Rochester.
Sight 18: Eastman Dental Dispensary Building
The Eastman Dental Dispensary was constructed between 1915 and 1917 in the Italian Renaissance architectural style by architects Gordon, Madden, and Kaelber. It was built as a free dental dispensary to serve the community of Rochester, New York, later expanding into throat and nose diseases. It fell into a state of disrepair after sitting vacant for close to four decades. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
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