Rochester’s
history is a fascinating study, only partly told by our standing monuments. As
permanent dedications, these structures are anything but motionless — they have
a tendency to move with our changing city, unlike our dedicated grand spaces,
such as MountHope
and Holy Sepulchre cemeteries. Just within city
limits, discovering the stories behind the sites and statues is itself a
treasure hunt of monumental proportions.
Perhaps most
central of these Rochester landmarks is the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in Washington Square Park (N. Clinton Avenue and Woodbury Boulevard), a 42′-tall bronze and granite tribute the Civil War.
Abraham Lincoln stands over four figures, each representing a military branch
of the era, with bronze engravings of key Civil War events at the pedestal. The
1892 dedication by President Benjamin Harrison brought in thousands, a scene
rife with bunting, flags, and fanfare. The monument has remained a nexus of
social discourse ever since; the current Occupy movement is the latest in a
long tradition of protesting citizens that gather around the statue.
But what is
not occupying WashingtonSquarePark has observant Rochesterians perplexed: where has the Austrian Cannon gone? Only its base remains. The mysteries may be a worthy case for Sherlock
Holmes, which may not be entirely inconceivable given this city’s link to the
fictional detective’s creator, and the movement that claims to have contact
with those who have died.
Indeed,
modern Spiritualists have local roots. The Fox sisters — Kate, Leah, and Maggie
— lived in the region in the 1840’s, when Rochester
was a boomtown and a hotbed for progressive thought and religion. The Fox
sisters famously claimed the ability to hear “spirit rappings”
(“Rochesterrappings,”
as they were known), enabling them to communicate as mediums. In 1927, through
the suggestion and generous funding of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, himself a
Spiritualist, a 25′ obelisk was raised to honor the sisters at the PlymouthSpiritualistChurch
in Corn Hill. The church was later razed, and in 1954, the SpiritualistMonument (Troup
Street, east of Plymouth)
was moved, now standing at the edge of the Inner Loop.
The Inner Loop,
itself a monument to 1960’s urban renewal, paved a path of convenience around
the city at the expense of historic neighborhoods and splendid parks. Now those
locales can be excavated only through photographs and antique maps.
One such
lost park was Franklin Square, a northeast downtown
oasis surrounded by Victorian homes, many of which belonged to the
German-Americans who played integral roles in Rochester
business and commerce. In 1941, during a period of heightened patriotism, the Spanish-American
War Memorial (between the CourtStreetBridge and Blue Cross Arena) was
dedicated in a scene of waving American and British flags. The drama of this
bronze sculpture, an Art Deco eagle “sundering the chain of oppression” atop a
forward-jutting pedestal, was initially intensified by the reflecting pool
beneath. Imagine this scene when viewing the eagle in its current location,
where it has stood since 1960.
AndersonPark was another lost to “progress,”
once bordered by University Avenue, North
Union Street, and Main Street,
where in 1908 the Schiller Monument was dedicated to honor German poet
and playwright Friedrich Schiller. The monument, a bronze bust atop a tall
pedestal and platform flanked by benches, was moved in 1964 to where it stands
today, in a remnant of Franklin Square
renamed SchillerPark
(Andrews Street, facing Liberty
Pole Way). From the profile, Schiller appears to
be perpetually brooding, but there may be a hint of lift to his lips if you
catch his gaze from the front. At any rate, he could use some company.
His friend
and contemporary, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, also stands immortalized. The GoetheMonument (South
Avenue and Reservoir) remains where it was first
dedicated in 1950, amid the verdant surroundings of what is now the Highland
Bowl. Commemorating the 200th anniversary of Goethe’s birth, chief speaker and
former head of University of Rochester’s
English Department John Slater encapsulated an era with poignancy: “Here, in
times of intolerance and bitterness, we raise a statue to Genius.”
Rochester‘s
German-American influence endures through names as ubiquitous as Bausch and
Lomb, and their community’s preservation efforts can serve as inspiration
today. The Henry Lomb Memorial (Upper Falls Boulevard,
east of St. Paul),
dedicated in 1932, was in danger of demolition in 1973 to make way for a sewer
tunnel and proposed roadway. The German-American societies rallied, obtaining a
court order temporarily blocking the wrecking ball, and a solution was reached.
This explains why the 48′ black Minnesota
granite shaft now stands in the middle of the road.
The monument
honoring Rochester’s preeminent
inventor and philanthropist, George Eastman, surprises many. The striking
gray-pink Georgia
granite George Eastman Memorial (Lake Avenue,
just north of Ridge) entombs his ashes under the sunken plaza at KodakPark industrial complex. This 1934
monument inspires reflection upon any visitor, and is a must-see for all Rochesterians.
Perhaps the
most moving monument in the city is the Greater Rochester Vietnam Veterans
Memorial (South Avenue,
between Highland and Elmwood). More
experience than monument, the memorial brings visitors through a winding path
of varied topography flanked by a timeline of the war’s events on the left, and
a humbling line of bollards on the right naming the 280 casualties from our
six-county region. This journey and the monuments central to it are designed
“to commemorate, to educate, and to heal.”
Nearby,
across the street from the Spanish-American War Cannon (at the South
Avenue entrance to Highland
Park) the FrederickDouglassMonument (South Ave, facing Highland
Bowl) stands silently addressing the public, with a better view of summertime
Shakespeare than Goethe’s. But this was not the original site where the statue
was dedicated in 1899. Governor Theodore Roosevelt led the ceremonies to honor
the respected abolitionist, orator, and publisher of The North Star. Thousands thronged to what was deemed Douglass
Triangle at St. Paul Street
and Central Avenue. As
urban traffic congestion rose, the monument was moved in 1943 to a site closer
to Douglass’s South Avenue
home that no longer stands. This was the first publicly funded monument in the
country to honor an African American, moving Booker T. Washington to remark,
“This monument is grand and it is the only thing we have.”
Other
monuments honoring Rochester notables include the Austin Steward Memorial (Radisson
Hotel, 120 E. Main St.), at the site of the general store opened in 1818 by the
former slave-turned-Rochester’s first black businessman; the Edward Mott
Moore Memorial (East River Road entrance to Genesee Valley Park at
Elmwood), dedicated in 1927 to the man who fought to create the Rochester park
system; the Cab Calloway Memorial (Otto Henderberg
Park in Swillburg), dedicated to Rochester’s most
famous hepcat; the Morrie Silver Memorial at Frontier Field; and of course, a pensive Nathaniel
Rochester at South and Alexander.
A trip to the
local history department in Rochester’s
Central Library is highly encouraged for those who wish to forage more deeply
to see the whole story of what only partially remains.
Do you have a favorite
local monument you would like to add to this list? Please comment on this
article at rochestercitynewspaper.com.
This article appears in Mar 14-21, 2012.
