Rochester is a city in western New York. Together with its
suburbs of Brighton, Chili, East Rochester, Fairport, Gates,
Greece, Henrietta, Irondequoit, Lincoln Park and Pittsford,
Rochester forms the Greater Rochester Area, one of the most
populous urban areas in upstate New York.
In the early
19th century, the region caught the interest of three Maryland
officers - Colonel Nathaniel Rochester, Major Charles Carroll,
and Colonel William Fitzhugh - because the Genesee River had
three waterfalls here that seemed suitable for hydroelectric
power generation. On November 8, 1803, the men bought the land
and in 1811 they began building a town here. In 1817, the
Village of Rochesterville arose from the amalgamation of these
and other settlements.
In 1821 Rochesterville became the
county seat of Monroe County and in 1823 the city, which now had
2,500 residents, was given the new name "Rochester". In the same
year, the city gained access to the Erie Canal and, a little
later, to the railway network. By 1838 Rochester, now home to a
large number of mills, ground more grain than any other American
city. Rochester made history as America's first boomtown.
In 1847, Frederick Douglass, a former slave and
abolitionist, founded the influential abolitionist newspaper The
North Star in Rochester.
In the early 20th century
Rochester also became a center for the textile industry. In 1899
the production facilities of the men's clothing manufacturer
Hickey Freeman were established here. Since neither grain
processing nor textile production play a significant role in New
York State today, Rochester's economic importance has declined
significantly since then. Even today, however, some of the
country's most successful companies are based here, including
e.g. B. Eastman Kodak, Xerox, Bausch and Lomb, Constallation
Brands and Paychex.
By Air: Rochester has one airport, Greater Rochester International
Airport (ROC) (IATA: ROC), which has daily direct flights to Chicago and
Minneapolis with an occasional flight to Detroit.
By rail: Amtrak
provides direct service from Rochester to Buffalo and Niagara Falls, as
well as New York City via Syracuse, Utica, Schenectady, Poughkeepsie and
Yonkers.
By Bus: Greyhound offers fast service from Rochester and
beyond. to Buffalo, Syracuse and Binghamton.
By Road: Rochester is
just north of Interstate Highway 90 - toll - which connects Buffalo to
Syracuse, Utica, Schenectady and Albany. From the south, i. H. from
Corning and Elmira, Rochester is directly accessible via Interstate
Highway 390. Coming from New York City, the shortest route is through
New Jersey and Pennsylvania to Binghamton, and from there via Elmira.
By Boat: Until 2006, the Spirit of Ontario I car ferry offered daily
trips from Rochester to Toronto and back. Unfortunately, the service was
not profitable and was therefore discontinued.
The Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority operates a network of many bus routes (network map, downtown network map) in Rochester and the surrounding area.
Frederick Douglass Museum and Cultural Center, 25 E Main St, at
Aquaeduct St, Downtown. Phone: +1 716-546-3960. Frederick Douglass
(1818-95) was an American civil rights activist who, after experiencing
slavery first-hand, campaigned for its abolition. Open: Tue – Thu 12.00
– 17.00, Sat 12.00 – 15.00. Price: Admission US$4 (=USD=$; children $2).
1 High Falls Visitor Center, 74-78 Browns Race, just northwest of
downtown. Information Office for the High Falls Heritage Area, with a
small exhibition. The High Falls Heritage Area is a heritage-listed
neighborhood on the north edge of downtown, bounded by Mill Street,
Platt Street, Genesee River and Commercial Street. Many former
industrial buildings. The most striking sight of the district is the
Kodak Office Tower, built in 1914. Pedestrian bridge with a beautiful
view of the Genesee River and the High Falls, this is the 29 m high and
unfortunately completely built-up waterfall in the city.
2 Memorial
Art Gallery, 500 University Ave, near Prince St. The art museum of the
University of Rochester. The collection includes 10,000 works of art
from antiquity to the present day. Open: Wed – Sun 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., Thu
until 9 p.m. Price: Admission $7 (seniors $5, children 6-18 $3).
3
Strong National Museum of Play, 1 Manhattan Square, driveway at the
corner of Woodbury Blvd and Chestnut St, Downtown; museum car park.
Large museum with hands-on exhibits for children that, unlike many other
museums of this type, has a relatively strong focus on art+culture.
Extremely attractive for children from 2½. Bring a lot of time with you,
because the children also want to paint, do handicrafts, read and play
here. On the upper floor, the museum houses an extensive collection of
historical toys and dolls. Since 2006, the facility has also included a
small butterfly house. On-site diner with moderately attractive food. In
the lobby area, visitors can ride a restored horse carousel. The Museum
Store is a good source for quality toys that are hard to find elsewhere.
Shorter opening hours outside of summer. A visit to the butterfly house
costs extra (due to the large number of people booking tickets in
advance for the butterfly house is advisable). Open: Mon - Sat 10 a.m. -
6 p.m. (Fri until 8 p.m.), Sun 12 p.m. - 6 p.m. Price: Admission $9
(seniors $8, children 2-17 $7).
4 Susan B. Anthony House, 17 Madison
St, off Yack Alley, west of downtown. Phone: +1 585-235-6124. The home
of the famous American women's and civil rights campaigner (1820-1906).
Open: Wed – Sun 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. (June – August Tue – Sun 11 a.m. – 5
p.m.). Closed on public holidays. Price: Admission $6 (Seniors $5,
Children $3).
5 George Eastman House, 900 East Ave, off Barrington
St, 1½ miles east of downtown. It is the oldest photo museum in the
world - it has existed since 1949 - and has an archive with 400,000
photographs and negatives, over 23,000 films and more than 25,000
technical exhibits. The museum is housed in the former home of George
Eastman, completed in 1905, who advanced the development of photography
with fundamental inventions and founded what later became the Eastman
Kodak Company in 1880, whose headquarters are still in Rochester today.
The complex includes Eastman's must-see living quarters and gardens, as
well as a photography and film exhibition. In-house cinema with an
exquisite program of classic and international films. Open: Tue – Sat 10
a.m. – 5 p.m. (Thu to 8 p.m.), Sun 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. Price: Admission $8
(seniors $6, children 5-12 $3).
6 Rochester Museum & Science Center,
657 East Ave, off Goodman St, just east of downtown. Family-oriented
museum with a three focus area: Science+Technology, Native American
cultural history and local history. Less crowded and quieter than the
Strong Museum. Children are less distracted and can concentrate better
on the exhibits. While in the Strong Museum they only need their parents
to take them to the toilet, tie shoelaces, etc., in a museum like this
parents are required and in demand as knowledge mediators. The material
offered is wonderful and highly memorable. In the ethnology department
z. B. It abounds with dioramas (lovingly designed showcases with
miniaturized scenes from the everyday life of the Indians), which are
extremely attractive for children. (Some "living pictures" are
life-size, though, and may panic younger children despite the actually
peaceful scenes they feature.) Good mix of conventional and hands-on
exhibits. Sections in which the children have to observe with
concentration are always followed by sections in which they can let off
steam. Facilities also include a planetarium, an attractive museum
store, and a small, uninviting restaurant. Open Mon - Sat 9am - 5pm, Sun
12pm - 5pm (times vary on public holidays). Price: Admission $9 (seniors
$8, children 3-18 $7).
A wealth of architecturally interesting buildings can be found in the
following areas:
Bridge Square Historic District, far west of
Downtown, the area between the city freeway, Center Park, N Washington
St and Main St. Historic industrial area with many Romanesque and
Federal style buildings.
Brown's Race Historic District, Browns Race,
on the northwest edge of downtown. Historical industrial area with many
buildings in Second Empire and Romanesque style.
Eastman Historic
District, area between Main St, Swan St, Lawn St and Gibbs St. A complex
of historic buildings from various periods of the 19th and 20th
centuries.
Grove Place Historic District, Gibbs St, Selden St, Grove
St and Windsor St area. Residential area with many interesting late
Victorian mansions.
Main Street. The main shopping street in downtown
Rochester with offices and luxury hotels (for shopping it is better to
go to Henrietta or Greece). In the Main Street, S Clinton Ave, Court St,
and South Ave area, many buildings are connected by a skyway (a network
of pedestrian walkways, bridges, and tunnels). Numerous photo
opportunities for those interested in architecture.
St. Paul-North
Water Streets Historic District, the area between N Water St, Andrews St
and St. Paul St, on the east bank of the Genesee River. Historic
district with many Romanesque and other architectural styles of
commercial buildings and warehouses.
State Street Historic District,
109-173 State St, at Andrews St. Business Historic District, including
Federal style.
Bevier Memorial Building, 42 S Washington St, off Spring St. Early
20th century school building of architectural historical interest.
Chamber of Commerce, 55 Saint Paul St, by United Way. Rochester's
historic Chamber of Commerce built in the early 20th century in Beaux
Arts and Classical Revival styles.
Chester Dewey School, 200
University Ave, off Beecher St, Downtown. School building built in the
Renaissance style in the early 20th century.
City Hall Historic
District, S Fitzhugh St. between Broad St and W Main St. Rochester's
historic City Hall, built in Renaissance and Gothic Revival styles.
Court Exchange Building, 142 Exchange St, off Court St. Late 19th
century Romanesque style merchant house.
Ebenezer Watts House, 47 S
Fitzhugh St, off Broad St. Federal and Italianate style home. 2nd
quarter of the 19th century.
Federal Building, corner of N Fitzhugh
St & Church St. Late 19th century Romanesque style government building.
Jewish Young Men's and Women's Association, 400 Andrews St, off Liberty
Pole Way. The Colonial Revival-style building of a former Jewish
cultural center.
Lehigh Valley Railroad Station, 99 Court St. Early
1900s mixed-style (now discarded) station building on the banks of the
Genesee River
Little Theater, 240 East Ave. Theater built in Art Deco
style.
Naval Armory-Convention Hall, 75 Woodbury Blvd. Auditorium
building from the third quarter of the 19th century.
Rundel Memorial
Library, 115 South Ave, off Court St. Art Deco and Beaux Arts style
library building.
University Club, 26 Broadway, at East Ave. Colonial
Revival style, 2nd quarter of the 20th century.
Washington Street
Rowhouses, 30-32 N Washington St, far west of downtown. Row of flats
built in the Greek Revival style from the 2nd quarter of the 19th
century.
Baptist Temple, 14 Franklin St, off Main St. Built in late Gothic
Revival and Chicago styles.
Brick Presbyterian Church, 121 N Fitzhugh
St, near Church St. Built in the mid-19th century (Colonial Revival
style).
English Evangelical Church of the Reformation and Parish
House, 111 N Chestnut St, near Pleasant St.
First Presbyterian
Church, 101 S Plymouth Ave, at Spring St. Built in the Gothic style in
the third quarter of the 19th century.
First Universalist Church,
corner of S. Clinton Ave & Court St. Built in the early 20th century.
German United Evangelical Church Complex, 60-90 Bittner St, north of
Andrews St.
Our Lady of Victory Roman Catholic Church, 210 Pleasant
St, near Clinton Ave.
St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church and Rectory,
108 Franklin St. Italianate and Greek Revival style.
St. Mary's Roman
Catholic Church and Rectory, 15 St. Mary's Pl, corner of Woodbury Blvd &
S Clinton Ave.
Adam Brown Block, 480 E Main St, off Windsor St. Built in the
Romanesque style in the late 19th century.
Cox Building, 36-48 St
Paul St, at Mortimer St. Romanesque style (late 19th century).
Duffy-Powers Building, 50 W Main St, at Fitzhugh St. Beaux Arts style
(early 20th century).
Edwards Building, 26-34 St Paul St, at Mortimer
St. Renaissance style (early 20th century).
First National Bank of
Rochester, 35 State St, off Main St. Early 20th century Classical
Revival bank building.
Granite Building, 124 E Main St, off Clinton
Ave. Renaissance style (late 19th century).
H. H. Warner Building,
72-82 St. Paul St, off Pleasant St. Late 19th century.
Jonathan Child
House & Brewster-Burke House Historic District, 37 S Washington St. and
130 Spring St, west of downtown. Greek Revival style (1st half of the
19th century).
Kirstein Building, 242 Andrews St, at Bittner St.
Classical Revival style (early 20th century).
Michaels Stern
Building, 87 N Clinton Ave, at Pleasant St. Beaux Arts style.
National Company Building, 159 E Main St, at Stone St. Classical Revival
style (early 20th century).
Powers Building, corner of W Main St &
State St. Late 19th century commercial building of architectural
historical interest.
Reynolds Arcade, 16 E Main St, off State St. Art
Deco style.
Rochester Savings Bank, 40 Franklin St, at Franklin Ct.
Architecturally interesting bank building.
Salmon-Nusbaum Building,
148 N Clinton Ave, at Andrews St. Second Empire style (late 19th
century).
Sibley Triangle Building, 20-30 East Ave, corner of Main
St. Late 19th century commercial building with a triangle plan.
Sibley's, Lindsay and Curr Building, 228 E Main St, off Clinton Ave.
Chicago style.
Wilder Building, 1 E Main St. Romanesque style (late
19th century).
Yawman and Erbe Building, 41 Chestnut St, at Lawn St.
Classical Revival style (2nd quarter 20th century).
Arcade Mill, 26-32 Aqueduct St, on the west bank of the Genesee
River. Historical industrial mill from the second half of the 19th
century.
. C. Cohen Company Building – Andrews Building, 216 Andrews
St. Late 19th century Romanesque style industrial building.
The four
bridges in downtown Rochester are also listed on the National Register
of Historical Places: Andrews Street Bridge, Broad Street Aqueduct and
Bridge, Court Street Bridge and Main Street Bridge.
Historical Districts
Madison Square/ West Main Street Historic
District, just west of downtown, roughly the area between Silver St,
Canal St, W Main St and Madison St. Historic business district with
buildings in many different architectural styles.
East Avenue
Historic District, East Ave between Probert St and Alexander St, east of
Downtown. Residential area with many beautiful Italianate, Queen Anne
and Greek Revival style villas. Including designs by Frank Lloyd Wright.
Maplewood Historic District, roughly the area of Lakeview Park, Lake
Ave, Seneca Pkwy and Maplewood Ave, 3 miles northwest of downtown.
Historic residential area on the west bank of the Genesee River with
many interesting Italianate, Second Empire and Queen Anne style mansions
and churches. The Vanderbeck House (1295 Lake Ave, near Magee Ave) is
particularly worth seeing.
Third Ward Historic District, roughly the
area between Interstate Highway 490, Adams St, Peach St, Troup St, and
Fitzhugh St, on the southwest edge of downtown. Historical residential
area with many photogenic villas in Greek Revival and Gothic style.
Individual buildings
551-555 North Goodman St Building, 551-555 N
Goodman St, off Garson Ave, 1.2 miles northeast of downtown. Early 20th
Century Queen Ann style commercial building.
Aquinas Institute, 1127
Dewey Ave, off Augustine St, 3 miles northwest of downtown. Listed
school building erected in the early 19th century.
Boynton House, 16
East Blvd, off Park Ave, 2 miles east of downtown. 1908 Prairie style
home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Famous for its intricately designed
multicolored glass windows. Privately owned and unfortunately not open
to the public.
Charlotte-Genesee Lighthouse, 70 Lighthouse St, far
north of town, at the mouth of the Genesee River. Historic Lighthouse.
Silas Smith Mansion, 485 East Ave, east of downtown. Phone: +1
585-271-2705. House built in 1841 in the Greek Revival style.
Headquarters of the Rochester Historical Society.
Campbell-Whittlesey
House, 123 S Fitzhugh St, on the southwest edge of downtown. House built
in Greek Revival style in the first half of the 19th century.
Eastman
Dental Dispensary, 800 E Main St, at Alexander St. Historic
Renaissance-style dental clinic built in 1917. edit info
East High
School, 410 Alexander St, north of University Ave. School of historical
and architectural interest built in the early 20th century.
Gannett
Building, 55 Exchange St, off Doran St, 1.2 miles southwest of downtown.
Commercial building constructed in the Classic Revival style.
Hervey
Ely House, 138 Troup St, on the southwest edge of downtown. House built
in the second quarter of the 19th century in Greek Revival style. Seat
of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Immanuel Baptist Church,
815 Park Ave, off Brunswick St. Tudor Revival style church.
Leopold
Street School, 30 Leopold St, on the north edge of Downtown. Church
built in 1886, architecturally interesting.
Old Stone Warehouse, 1
Mt. Hope Ave, on the southern edge of downtown. Warehouse built in the
early 19th century.
Pulaski Library, 1151 Hudson Ave, off Norton St,
4 km north of downtown. Library built in Renaissance style.
Rochester
Fire Department Headquarters, 185 North St, off Mark St, 2 miles north
of downtown. Historic fire station built in Art Deco style.
Saint
Bernard's Seminary, 2260 Lake Ave, on the edge of Holy Sepulcher
Cemetery, 4 miles north of downtown. Priests' seminary built in the
neo-Gothic style.
Saint Mark's and Saint John's Episcopal Church,
1245 Culver Rd, at Rosewood Terrace, 3 miles northeast of downtown.
Church built in different architectural styles (Craftsman, Late Gothic
Revival).
Shingleside, 476 Beach Ave, off Clematis St, near the mouth
of the Genesee River. House built in the Shingle and Colonial Revival
styles (late 19th century).
Highland Park, 171 Reservoir Ave. South of downtown, embedded in a lovely hilly landscape, lies Rochester's most beautiful park. Romantic walkways, an arboretum and the must-see Lamberton Conservatory, a sprawling greenhouse complex with plants from a wide variety of vegetation zones, the special attraction of which are extremely cute free-roaming quail (open daily 10am-4pm). Another attraction to the southwest of the park is Warner Castle (Castle Park), a Gothic castle-style structure that includes an interesting sunken garden. The park is hardly overcrowded even on Sundays and public holidays. The best month to visit is May when the lilacs and rhododendrons bloom. Very easy parking on Reservoir Avenue. Visiting all outdoor facilities is free, only the Conservatory requires a small entrance fee. First-time visitors should start their visit at the Conservatory, where you can get a free map of the park.
Music
Eastman Theater, 60 Gibbs St, off Main St, Downtown. Large
concert hall with 3,094 seats, built in neo-classical style and opened
in 1922.
Kilbourn Hall, 26 Gibbs St, between Main St and East Ave,
Downtown. 455-seat concert hall designed in Venetian Renaissance style,
considered one of the best chamber music halls in the world.
Rochester International Jazz Festival. One of Rochester's main cultural
events, held each summer. Various venues.
Rochester Philharmonic
Orchestra, 108 East Ave, at Gibbs St, Downtown. The city's professional
symphony orchestra.
Theatre, musical and ballet
Auditorium
Theatre, 885 E Main St. Tel: +1 585-222-5000. Musical theaters located
downtown.
Downstairs Cabaret Theatre, 200 Windsor St. Tel: +1
585-325-4370. Cabaret group with three venues.
Garth Fagan Dance.
Phone: +1 585-454-3260. Award-winning modern repertoire dance company
based in Rochester but touring frequently. The ensemble can also be seen
on changing stages in Rochester.
7 Geva Theater Center, 75 Woodbury
Blvd, Downtown. Popular theater with a varied repertoire, plays and
musicals.
Movie theater
8 The Little, 240 East Ave, off
Winthrop St. Independent cinema on the edge of downtown with quality and
interesting programming.
The Dryden Theatre, 900 East Ave. The small
in-house cinema of the George Eastman House with an exquisite program
beyond the mainstream. There is only one film showing each day.
Boat tours
Spirit of Rochester, 18 Petten St Ext, north of town at
the mouth of the Genesee River. Phone: +1 585-865-4930. Large yacht
where you can book lunch and dinner cruises.
Children
The
Children's Center of the Downtown Central Library of Rochester and
Monroe County (115 South Ave, at Court St, Bausch and Lomb Public
Library Building, 2nd floor) offers not only books and reading lessons
for children of all ages, but also a Secret Room , which houses a doll
collection worth seeing (the George W. Cooper International Doll
Collection). Open Mon+Thu 9am-9pm, Tue+Wed+Fri 9am-6pm, Sat 9am-5pm, Sun
1pm-5pm. Admission free. Tel. 585-428-8150.
Better shopping than downtown Rochester, which is mostly
office-based, can be found in the suburbs of Henrietta or Greece.
Groceries
1 Namaste, 3047 West Henrietta Rd. In the south of the
city, almost in the suburb of Henrietta, is the largest Indian grocery
store in the region. For Indian groceries, Rochester has a few other
small shopping addresses including, from west to east, India Market
(3259 S Winton Rd, northeast of Henrietta), India House (999 Clinton
Avenue), Desi Bazaar (1713 Crittenden Rd) and Saeed's Drive In Market
(129 Curlew St). But if you've been to Namaste before, you might want to
take a look at the neighboring Asia Market, which sells imported Korean
food. Open: Mon – Thu 11 a.m. – 9 p.m., Fri + Sat 10 a.m. – 9.30 p.m.,
Sun 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.
2 Swan Market German Deli & Catering, 231
Parsells Ave, off Stout St, northeast of Downtown. German butcher who
has a wide range of products that German migrants in the USA often
crave, such as Kassler, Leberkäse, Weißwurst or Leberwurst. This also
includes a catering business (live music on the last Thursday and Friday
of the month). Open: Wed – Fri 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Sat 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.
(lunch 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.).
3 Top's, 285 Upper Falls Blvd, off Clinton
Ave, 1.2 miles north of downtown. Large supermarket with deli. Open:
daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
4 Top's, 710 Lake Ave, off Glenwood Ave,
2 miles northwest of downtown; 450 West Ave, at Fillmore St, 2 miles
west of downtown. Two large supermarkets with deli. Open: daily 6.00
a.m. – 12.00 a.m.
5 Trader Joe's, Pittsford Plaza, 3349 Monroe Ave.
In the south-east of Rochester is this branch of the legendary chain
(but not very common in the American East), which attempts a balancing
act between eco, gourmet and discounter and thus very successfully
serves an alternative clientele. German expats will find e.g. For
example, the best packaged bread you can find anywhere in the United
States. Open: Opening hours: daily 8.00 a.m. - 9.00 p.m.
6 Wegmans,
3660 Dewey Ave, off Florence Ave, 5 miles north of downtown; 3701 Mt.
Read Blvd, north of Maiden Ln, 10 miles northwest of downtown. Two large
quality supermarkets.
Furniture
7 Vatis Home Furnishings, 3400
Monroe Ave = Pittsford Colony Plaza, diagonally across from Barnes &
Noble. One of Upstate New York's premier shopping destinations for
contemporary design furniture. Affordable and dignified imported
furniture from Italy, Scandinavia and other parts of Europe. If you
don't find what you're looking for here, you'll have to drive to
Buffalo, Ithaca, Syracuse or even further.
The natives of the Indian tribe of the Seneca called the Genesee the
"river of many falls". It was the river, and in particular the
100-foot-tall downtown waterfall, that contributed to Rochester's early
industrialization. Between the arrival of the first white settlers in
Rochester in 1789 and the construction of the Erie Canal in 1823, there
could be no question of the city flourishing.
The construction of
the canal greatly changed the situation in the city in terms of its
economic development. The Erie Canal linked the lower Great Lakes to the
capital Albany and across the Hudson River to New York City, fueling an
ongoing boom in the city. After the canal was completed in the mid-19th
century, so many mills sprang up on the banks of the Genesee that the
city was named Flour City. Then, by the mid-20th century, tree nurseries
and horticulture supplanted flour milling as Rochester's main source of
income. The city's garden and park system dates from this period.
Rochester calls itself the World's Image Center, which is true in
industrial and academic terms. In 1853, John Bausch and Henry Lomb
opened a small optical equipment shop. This has developed into a global
concern for ophthalmic surgical instruments and contact lenses. Bausch &
Lomb advertised themselves as an eye care company and were also known
outside of the healthcare sector for Ray-Ban glasses. In the 1880s, a
bank clerk named George Eastman was experimenting with photographic
materials in his mother's kitchen. Eventually, the Eastman Kodak Company
emerged from these experiments. The Xerox Corporation was also founded
in Rochester in 1906.
Kodak's prosperity fueled the city's
prosperity into the 1960s. Then the city felt the economic structural
change. It took its place in the Rust Belt, an area stretching from
Illinois through Indiana, Michigan and Ohio to western Pennsylvania and
northern New York State. These formerly economically strong industrial
areas suffered from the closure of companies and the migration of
production facilities to the southwest or to Mexico. The city is still
trying to get rid of this negative image.
From 1928 to 1956
Rochester was served by a subway (Rochester Industrial and Rapid Transit
Railway), some of the tunnels of which still exist.
In March
2020, a black man suffering from an acute psychotic episode walking the
streets naked was handcuffed and handcuffed by police officers with a
sack over his head, pinning him to the ground so hard he had to be
resuscitated. The victim died in hospital a week later. The coroner
classified the cause of death as violent asphyxiation, aggravated by
exposure to phencyclidine, while the mayor said the police station ruled
the incident a drug-related death. When the victim's family released
police video of the incident in early September 2020, it received
national attention and became the focus of protests following the death
of George Floyd. State Attorney General Letitia James offered
condolences to the family and promised a fair and independent
investigation into the event.
110 Rochester structures and sites
are listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) as of
September 4, 2020, including the New York State Barge Canal, the Susan
B. Anthony House (where Susan Brownell Anthony was arrested when she to
vote in the 1872 presidential election) and the George Eastman House
were designated National Historic Landmarks.
Rochester is the headquarters of Eastman Kodak Co. and Bausch and
Lomb. The technology company Xerox meanwhile also had its headquarters
in Rochester; it is now located in Norwalk, Connecticut. However,
because of the industrial environment and the universities, Xerox still
maintains many administrative buildings and production facilities in
Rochester.
Other resident companies include Wegmans Food Markets,
Paychex, Roberts Communications, Dundee Brewing Company and Gleason
Corporation.
The US Northeast has traditionally been a stronghold of the anti-slavery movement. Frederick Douglass was an escaped slave and became a leading figure in the abolitionist movement. In 1847 he founded his newspaper North Star in Rochester. The local commitment to human rights is also personified in Susan B. Anthony, a well-known women's rights activist. She was arrested in Rochester in 1872 for insisting on her right to vote.
In March 2020, African American Daniel Prude died after police
officers handcuffed him, put a cloth sack over his head, wrestled him to
the ground and held him face down on the ground until he stopped
breathing. Prude was choking. The incident sparked nationwide protests.
The police kept the bodycam recordings of the incident secret for
months. It wasn't until September, when the footage was released, that
several officers involved were suspended from duty. There were
nationwide protests against the actions of the police. After the
appointment of a grand jury was announced, the Rochester Police
Commissioner announced his resignation. He had previously defended the
officers involved against all allegations. However, when it became known
how the police chief was actively involved in covering up the incident,
the mayor fired him before the date of his announced resignation.
In January 2021, after handcuffing her and dragging her into a
police car, police officers sprayed a nine-year-old African American
girl in the face with pepper spray in the back seat of the car. Bodycam
recordings of the incident show at least seven officers involved. There
were renewed public protests against the actions of the police.