USA > New York > Monroe County > Rochester > Rochester and Monroe County: A history and guide > Part 11
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Colgate Rochester Divinity School
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ester on the south, Lake Ontario on the north, and a resi- dential section in the foreground.
One-way road circles reservoir, returning to Highland Ave .; R. on Highland Ave.
34. COLGATE-ROCHESTER DIVINITY SCHOOL (R), Highland Ave. and S. Goodman St., is approached on a winding road leading through landscaped slopes to the crest of a hill, on which stands the administration building, the president's house, and the chapel, a well-built group of brick buildings designed in the English Gothic style. The architect was James Gamble Rogers of New York City.
The square tower of the administration building, with its spires and pinnacles suggestive of English cathedral towers, is visible for miles. Two additional dormitories, in the English Tudor residential style, stand at the base of the hill.
The main building was dedicated in 1931, marking the merger of the Colgate Theological Seminary, Hamilton, N. Y., with the Rochester Theological Seminary, formerly located at East Avenue and Alexander Street. The seminary at Colgate was opened in 1820. The Rochester school was incorporated and opened at the same time as the University of Rochester. The two seminaries were merged for the sake of economy and efficiency. Negotiations are under way (1937) for the Presbyterian Theological Seminary at Auburn to join the Colgate-Rochester group.
35. HIGHLAND PARK (R), directly opposite the Divin- ity School, acquired in 1888 by gift and purchase, contains 107 acres of rolling land, which forms part of the ridge known as the Pinnacle Hills. One of the city's reservoirs is located in the park. There is one picnic area, equipped with tables, fireplaces, and benches. A lily pond, used as a skating rink during the winter months, is flanked by four tennis
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Pavilion at Highland Park. Dedicated to the Children of Rochester
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courts and a baseball diamond. Five greenhouses and a conservatory display flowers throughout the year, with special displays at Easter and Christmas. The park contains more than 400 species of trees, shrubs, and perennials, in- cluding a grove with 370 varieties of evergreens. Several rhododendron and azalea beds are afire with color in season.
The nationally known Lilac Festival held in May during the week of bloom, with its display of 350 varieties of lilacs, includes entertainment, concerts, and floats. The display is floodlighted at night.
L. from Highland Ave. on Mt. Hope Ave.
36. MOUNT HOPE CEMETERY, 791 Mt. Hope Ave., extending over 250 acres, is the largest cemetery in the city. Many hills and deep hollows give variety and beauty to the landscape. A small artificial pond, approached by a flight of stone steps, is surrounded by wooded areas. A chapel with a seating capacity of 280 is located near the main entrance on Mt. Hope Avenue. Many well known Rochesterians are buried in the cemetery, including Susan B. Anthony, Col. Nathaniel Rochester, and Abelard Reynolds.
Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906) won a place in American history as a pioneer advocate of equal rights for women in politics, industry, and education. Born and educated in New England, she taught school in New England and in New York State until 1849. In that year she gave her first lecture on temperance. She continued lecturing on anti- slavery, women's rights, and temperance until 1865, and from that year until 1900 continuously campaigned for women's suffrage. She contributed much time and money toward the establishment of the Women's College of the University of Rochester. Her activities in this cause are
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commemorated in Anthony Memorial Hall on the campus at University Avenue, (see University of Rochester).
Col. Nathaniel Rochester (1752-1831), is called the founder of Rochester. He came to the Genesee country in 1800 from his home in Maryland. With his partners, Major Charles Carroll and Col. William Fitzhugh, he purchased the hundred acre tract that is now downtown Rochester. In 1811 he surveyed the tract and sold lots, often advancing the money necessary to build mills and dwellings. He served as a member of the legislatures of three states, Maryland, North Carolina, and New York. He was twice appointed postmaster of Hagerstown, Md., was sheriff of Washington County, Md., for three years, and served one term as judge of the Washington County Court. After moving to the Genesee country, Colonel Rochester served as presidential elector, first county clerk of Monroe County, and member of the state assembly. His last public service was the organi- zation of the first Bank of Rochester, of which he became first president.
Abelard Reynolds (1785-1878) born in Dutchess County, New York, left his birthplace at an early age to try farming in Massachusetts. In 1812 he came to Rochester and in 1813 erected the first two-story dwelling on the site of the present city, where he carried on the two businesses of saddler and innkeeper. In the year of his arrival he was appointed the city's first postmaster. He prospered, and in 1828 built the first Reynolds Arcade, at that time the largest building west of Albany. He was one of the founders of the Roch- ester Athenaeum, the city's first public library.
R. from Mt. Hope Ave. on Elmwood Ave.
37. STRONG MEMORIAL & MUNICIPAL HOSPITAL (L), (see University of Rochester).
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38. GENESEE VALLEY PARK (L), main entrance at Elmwood Ave. and River Blvd., largest city park, com- prises 636 acres, with the Barge Canal, Red Creek, and the Genesee River converging near its center. A public boat- house on the west bank of the river rents boats and canoes, and offers a sight-seeing trip on the river by power launch (fare 10 cents). The park contains five tennis courts, seven baseball diamonds, football and soccer fields, a cricket field, a polo field, running tracks, and two 18-hole golf courses (greens fees: 50 cents for city residents, $ 1 for non-residents.) The clubhouse is half a mile from the main entrance. There are five picnic areas, equipped with tables, benches, fire- places, and shelters, and refectories located nearby. Two swimming pools are on the west side of the park. Three softball diamonds near the swimming pools, flooded during winter months, provide a large skating rink. Winding paved roads, hiking trails, and bridle paths lead through wooded sections containing over 600 varieties of native and foreign trees.
Near the entrance to the park, a bronze statue on a gran- ite base honors Dr. Edward Mott Moore (1814-1902), called the "father of Rochester's parks." Dr. Moore began practis- ing medicine in Rochester in 1840. He gained prominence as a lecturer and occupied the chair of surgery in several eastern colleges. He served as professor of surgery at the University of Buffalo, 1852-1882. Upon his return to Roch- ester in 1882, he became a trustee of the Reynolds Library and president of the board of trustees of the university. He was one of the founders of the American Surgical Association and served as president of the American Medical Associa- tion in 1890. His interest in the development of public parks led to his appointment as first president of the Board of Park Commissioners in 1888.
R. from Elmwood Ave. on River Blvd.
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The Genesee River, Looking Northward from Clarissa Street Bridge
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39. MEN'S CAMPUS, UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER (R), (see University of Rochester).
40. CLARISSA ST. BRIDGE (L) is one of the series of 12 bridges spanning the Genesee River within the city limits. Constructed in 1918, it is a triple steel arched bridge with four cast stone pylons, each consisting of four rusticated Roman Doric columns. The architects were Gordon and Kaelber.
The view from the bridge to the north is a panorama of the downtown skyline. In the foreground is the Barge Canal harbor and terminal building.
River Blvd., N. of Clarissa St. Bridge, runs into Mt. Hope Ave., L. on South Ave.
41. RUNDEL MEMORIAL BUILDING (L), South Ave. and Court St., houses the Reynolds Reference Library and the Rochester Public Library. Completed in 1936, it is constructed of limestone and designed in a modern inter- pretation of the Italian Renaissance style.
The building is constructed literally on stilts over a four- track subway and a river raceway. A series of 13 spilling arches, symbolizing Rochester's early leadership in the mill- ing industry, form part of the base of the building on the west and carry the waters of the raceway to the Genesee River. With broad plazas at either end, the building oc- cupies part of a site which is being considered (1937) as a future civic center.
Funds for the completion of the building were bequeathed by Morton W. Rundel (1838-1911), who, born in Alexander, N. Y., conducted an art store in Rochester for several years and fostered local exhibitions of water colors and oil paint- ings. Prospering by shrewd investments, Mr. Rundel for many years cherished the idea of an art gallery for Roch-
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Rundel Memorial Library, Corner South Avenue and Court Street
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ester. In his will he left the city $400,000 for a building to be used as an art gallery and library. During years of litiga- tion the bequest increased to $1,000,000, and was finally made available in 1934.
The Reynolds Reference Library was chartered in 1884 by Mortimer F. Reynolds (1814-1892), one of the claimants to the title of first white child born within the village limits of Rochester. He named the library in memory of his father, Abelard Reynolds and housed it in the Reynolds Arcade. In 1896 the library was moved to the Reynolds home on Spring Street. Upon the completion of the Rundel Mem- orial building, the Reynolds Reference Library, then con- taining 90,000 volumes, was consolidated with the Roch- ester Public Library and given a prominent position on the main floor of the building.
TOUR 3-1 m.
W. from Four Corners on W. Main St.
42. POWERS BUILDING (R), cor. W. Main and State Sts., stands on the site of the first dwelling erected on the "hundred-acre tract" that later became Rochesterville. It is built of Ohio sandstone, with cast iron decorations. When it was constructed in 1870, the building was the city's first fireproof office structure and contained the first elevators west of New York City. Designed by Andrew Jackson Warner, architecturally it is a sad reminder of the post-Civil War period, the "dark ages" of American architecture, with its horizontal belt courses, many dormer windows, and fantastic series of Mansard roofs. For many years it housed the Powers Art Gallery founded by Daniel W. Powers (1818-1897), who amassed a fortune in the banking and brokerage business in Rochester and con-
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structed the Powers Building and the adjacent Powers Hotel, both landmarks of the city.
43. MONROE COUNTY COURTHOUSE (L), cor. W. Main and Fitzhugh Sts., was built in 1896, the third courthouse on this site. Constructed of New Hampshire granite, the four-story building is designed in the Italian Renaissance style. The architect was J. Foster Warner, son of A. J. Warner. Four granite Roman Doric columns flank the main entrance, from which a wide marble stairway leads up to an enclosed courtyard.
The first courthouse, built in 1824, is represented in the present building by a large ball on the flagpole. A wooden, hand-carved statue of Justice from the second courthouse, built in 1850, occupies a niche on the fourth floor level overlooking the main entrance. The millstones from Indian Allen's grist mill, commemorating the founding of Roch- ester's first industry, are embedded in the west wall of the third floor.
L. from W. Main on Fitzhugh St.
44. BOARD OF EDUCATION BLDG., 13 S. Fitzhugh St., was erected in 1874 as Rochester's first public high
Tour No. 3 Map Index
42. Powers Building
43. Monroe County Court House
44. Board of Education Building
45. St. Luke's Episcopal Church
46. City Hall
47. Mechanics Institute
48. Jonathan Child House
49. Bevier Memorial Hall
50. Livingston Park
51. Livingston Park Seminary
52. D. A. R. House
53. Whittlesey House
54. Plymouth Ave. Spiritualist Church
55. Fox Sisters Home
56. First Presbyterian Church
56-a Bicknell Houses
57. Times-Union Building
58. Statue of Mercury
59. Broad St. Bridge-Aqueduct-Main St. Bridge
60. Genesee Valley Trust Building
61. Reynolds Arcade
62. Marker-Indian Allen's Mills
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school. It was the only public high school in the city until 1902. On this site, donated to the city by Col. Nathaniel Rochester in 1814, was built in the same year the first school in Rochester.
45. ST. LUKE'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 17 S. Fitzhugh St., built in 1824 of stone, is Rochester's oldest church edifice. The architecture is Gothic, but traces of the Georgian Colonial style are evident. The three doorways are surmounted by high arched windows of stained glass. Embedded in one of the interior walls is a stone bearing the seal of the Bishop of Rochester, England, dated 1115- 1124, which was presented to St. Luke's by the Cathe- dral Church of Rochester, England.
46. CITY HALL (L), cor. Fitzhugh and Broad Sts., a five-story structure built in 1875 of Lockport gray sand- stone with Medina stone trim, houses the main offices of the city administration. The style is a variation of Victorian Gothic; the architect was Andrew Jackson Warner.
The common council chamber, on the third floor, has oil portraits of former mayors on its walls. A 3-ton bell, for many years used as a fire alarm, hangs in the lofty bell tower.
R. from Fitzhugh St. on Broad St.
47. MECHANICS INSTITUTE (L), Broad St. and Ply- mouth Ave., a two-story structure, occupies the entire block between Broad and Spring Sts. The school was financed in 1885 by Capt. Henry Lomb "for the purpose of providing technical training for the youth of Rochester." The fact that the school is not a standardized institution gives it the flexibility necessary to meet changing conditions. It oper- ates both day and evening classes, with some 500 day students and more than 1,500 evening students.
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Jonathan Child House, South Washington Street
L. from Broad St. on Washington St.
48. JONATHAN CHILD HOUSE, 37 S. Washington St., sitting high on a terrace, is an outstanding example of the Greek-Revival style of architecture. Constructed of brick, the building is distinguished by its five lofty
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Corinthian columns supporting the roof of the large front portico. Constructed in 1837 as a residence by Jonathan Child, first mayor of Rochester, the structure now houses the Fourth Church of Christ, Scientist.
. 49. BEVIER MEMORIAL HALL (L), Washington and Spring Sts. (visitors welcome, weekdays 9-5), erected in 1910 on the site of the home of Col. Nathaniel Rochester with funds donated by Mrs. Susan Bevier of New York City, houses the School of Art of the Mechanics Institute. The architect was Claude F. Bragdon; the design is in his personal style of that time, the colors of the brick and terra cotta suggest- ing the Oriental.
During the school year, monthly art exhibitions are held in the room containing the Bevier art collection, which includes illustrations for instruction in oil and water paint- ing, etchings, pottery etc. All are works of contemporary artists and craftsmen.
R. from Washington St. on Spring St .; L. on Livingston Park.
50. LIVINGSTON PARK, named in honor of James K. Livingston, pioneer Rochester miller, was until the turn of the century the center of social activity in Rochester. The terraced lawns, guarded by iron grill gates and adorned by iron animal figures, were the scene of many early Rochester social events. Formerly a part of the "ruffled shirt" dis- trict, the street retains the air of exclusiveness to which for nearly a century it laid claim.
51. LIVINGSTON PARK SEMINARY, 1 Livingston Park, of Greek classic design, built in 1825 as a residence, was converted in 1860 into a family school for girls and conducted as such for many years. Columns mark the en- trances at the front and side doors. The interior trim is of carved mahogany, with columns of black walnut. Over-
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looking the park from a high terrace, the Seminary is a reminder of the architectural splendor of early Rochester homes.
52. D. A. R. HOUSE, 11 Livingston Park, built about 1840, houses the Irondequoit Chapter of the D. A. R. The design is Georgian Colonial. The rock wall which borders the house on the Troup Street side is studded with wrought- iron staples that served as hitching posts when the house was a center of social activities.
L. from Livingston Park on Troup St.
53. WHITTLESEY HOUSE, cor. Troup and Fitzhugh Sts., is a brick building of Greek Revival design erected in 1836. A high columned portico extends across the Troup Street side, although the main entrance is located on Fitzhugh Street. The interior of the house has mahogany trim, high ceilinged rooms, and a wing stairway, all typical of the architecture that predominated in early Rochester homes. This house has recently been purchased by a cor- poration and will be preserved as a historical shrine.
Retrace Troup St .; on Plymouth Ave.
54. PLYMOUTH AVENUE SPIRITUALIST CHURCH NE. cor. Plymouth Ave. and Troup St., is recognized as the mother church of modern Spiritualism. The brick building, constructed in 1853 in the Victorian style, was originally a Congregational church. In the churchyard a marble monument, erected in 1927, commemorates the ad- vent of Spiritualism in the home of the Fox sisters in Hydes- ville, N. Y., in 1848, (see Rochester Anecdotes).
55. FOX SISTERS' HOME (L), NW. cor. Plymouth Ave. and Troup St., is one of the cradles of Spiritualism. It is a simple Colonial house of brick construction. The two- story portico has Greek Doric columns.
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The Osgood House, Livingston Park. Home of Irondequoit Chapter, D. A. R.
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After their first contact with the spirit world at Hydes- ville, the Fox sisters moved with their family to this house in 1848. Meeting with skepticism, they conducted seances in their home; and from that small beginning the faith spread throughout the world. The house served as one of the Rochester stations of the Underground Railroad.
56. FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, cor. Plymouth Ave. and Spring St., was erected in 1870 shortly after the original church, on the site of the present city hall, was burned. The building is the home of the oldest church organization in Rochester. Constructed of domestic gray limestone, it is Victorian Gothic in style. At the rear of the church, concealed under a cement slab, is the spring that supplied drinking water for the first residents of Rochester.
R. from Plymouth Ave. on Spring St.
56 .- a BICKNELL HOUSES 63 and 67 Spring St., are the oldest houses in Rochester on the west side of the Genesee River. Number 67, built in 1821, of frame construc- tion, has been considerably altered through the years. Num- ber 63 retains most of its original lines. A high front porch flush with the sidewalk leads to the original doorway ornamented with leaded-glass side lights and fan transom light.
L. from Spring St. on Exchange St.
57. TIMES UNION BLDG. stands on the SW. cor. of Exchange and Broad Sts. This intersection was named Times Square by the City Council upon the completion of the building in 1928. In this four-story modern structure are printed all editions of the Rochester Times-Union and the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.
R. from Exchange St. on Broad St.
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"Mercury" and the "Wings''
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58. STATUE OF MERCURY (R) was placed in position in 1881 on top of the high chimney of the Kimball Tobacco Factory, pioneer developers and manufacturers of machine- made cigarettes. The building is now the City Hall annex. The 28-foot statue, made of copper plates riveted together, towers 182 feet above the Genesee River, a symbol of the speed and development of industry and commerce in the city.
59. BROAD STREET BRIDGE serves as a roof for what was once the Erie Canal aqueduct, which, built in 1842, carried the canal across the Genesee River and was con- sidered a wonder of engineering accomplishment, (see Rochester Anecdotes). Now the aqueduct carries the four- track subway over the river.
From the bridge may be seen to the south the Court Street bridge with its seven stone arches, patterned after ancient Roman bridges. On the north the Main Street bridge spans the river, with numerous commercial structures built on its stone piers. It has long been popular with etchers and artists because of its resemblance to the Ponte Vecchio in Florence.
Retrace Broad St .; R. on Exchange St.
60. GENESEE VALLEY TRUST BLDG. (L), Broad and Exchange Sts., erected in 1929, of modern design, is built of granite and limestone. The architects were Voorhees, Gmelin and Walker of New York City. It is sur- mounted by four huge aluminum wings, 42 feet in height and weighing 12,000 lbs. each. Floodlighted at night, these wings add a distinctive touch to Rochester's night skyline.
R. from Exchange St. on Main St.
61. REYNOLDS ARCADE, 10-20 Main St. E., is a modern 10-story limestone office building designed by Gordon and Kaelber. Completed in 1932, it stands on the
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site of the original Reynolds Arcade, which, erected in 1828 by Abelard Reynolds was closely associated with the history of Rochester. Within its walls were housed the city's first police court, first post office, and first practising physician and lawyer. The foundations of many fortunes were laid in the old Arcade: it was the birthplace of the Western Union Telegraph Company and the Bausch & Lomb Optical Company; George Eastman obtained his first job in an office in the Arcade; and George Selden worked out his plans for the first successful automobile motor in his office in the building. The original Reynolds Arcade, repeatedly modernized during its century of exist- ence, was torn down in 1931 to make way for the present building.
R. from Main St. on Graves St.
62. SITE OF INDIAN ALLEN'S MILL, 3-5 Graves St., is identified by bronze placques embedded in the wall. Coming to the Genesee Country in 1789, Indian Allen was given the hundred-acre tract (see Rochester Anecdotes) that is now downtown Rochester with the provision that he erect a sawmill and a gristmill on the banks of the Genesee River. Allen built the mills, and after working them until 1792 sold his interest both in the mills and in the land. After various transfers of title, the property was purchased by Rochester, Carroll, and Fitzhugh in 1803 and became the site of Rochesterville.
Tour No. 4 Map Index
63. St. Patrick's Cathedral
64. Camera Works
65. Kodak Tower
66. Maplewood Branch Y. M. C. A.
67. Maplewood Park
75. Old Charlotte Lighthouse
68. Kodak Park
69. Eastman Memorial
70. St. Ann's Home
71. St. Bernard's Seminary
72. Holy Sepulchre Cemetery
73. Riverside Cemetery
74. Charlotte High School
76. Port of Rochester
77. Ontario Beach Park
78. Edgerton Park-Rochester Museum of Arts & Sciences
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OF TOUR
1937 ROCHESTER TOUR NO. 4
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ROCHESTER AND MONROE COUNTY
TOUR 4-14 m.
N. on State St .; L. on Platt St.
63. ST. PATRICK'S CATHEDRAL (R), Platt St. and Plymouth Ave., built of Medina brownstone with Niagara limestone trim in the Victorian Gothic style, is modelled after the original St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City. It stands on the site of the first Catholic church in Rochester, a wooden structure built in 1823. This early church was replaced in 1852 by a stone building. When plans for a cathedral were prepared in 1864, the present site was chosen because it marked the cradle of Catholicism in western New York. The structure was completed in 1868, shortly after the creation of the Rochester Diocese. A shrine to St. Anthony within the Cathedral was recently dedi- cated. The Cathedral property was purchased in August 1937 by the Eastman Kodak Company, and the buildings will be razed.
Retrace Platt St .; L. from Platt St. on State St.
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