In “flOUR CITY Interactive ROCgarden,” Rochester Fringe audiences meet famous Rochesterians from the past who share their compelling stories.
Rochester history
Posted inNews & Opinion
Urban Action 10/10
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.) Rochester in the ’60’s Monroe Community College’s Institute for the Humanities will present “Rochester Remembers the 1960’s: The Legacy of Social justice Activism” on Friday, October 12. The program will use lectures, film, […]
Posted inSpecial Sections
Building a ‘progressive’ city
The home of Frederick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony, and countless social reformers, Rochester has long been labeled ‘progressive’
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Annual Manual 2018
Compared to some cities in the US, Rochester’s not very old. But boy, do we have history. And what happened in the past has shaped what we are today, in many ways.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
The history behind Brighton’s ‘No Draft’ graffiti
While Defacer Eraser, Rochester’s graffiti removal operation, buffs walls soon after they’re marked up, graffiti tends to stick around on trains and other railroad property. Railroads choose to invest in structural maintenance rather than cosmetic considerations. And this is why, for 35 years, the well-known “NO DRAFT” graffiti, accompanied by a peace sign and the […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
When wheels are wings
Along with the sweetness of spring comes the freedom of flying through the city on two wheels. As soon as the weather sustains 60 degrees for a few consecutive days, bicycles will join automobiles — and the more hardcore cyclists who’ve been out in almost every condition nature has thrown at us. Through May 15, […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Historical Society moves part of collection to Sibley
The Rochester Historical Society continues to struggle to find its footing. The latest: finances forced the organization out of its space at the Rundel library late last year. The society hadn’t paid its rent — $48,000 annually — since early in 2013. (Library officials say they don’t intend to pursue the back rent at this […]
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Important faces
Rochester is rich with history and there are a numerous important figures, past and present, every young Rochesterian should know.
Posted inNews & Opinion
Historic Gannett building for sale
Standing next to the Gannett building at 55 Exchange Boulevard, it’s immediately clear that the building is a monument to another time. Built in the late 1920’s by Gannett founder Frank Gannett, the building’s neo-Classical style exudes the authority and power of newspapers during their golden age. The building, which Frank Gannett constructed to house […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Preserving Rochester’s African American past
When local historian David Anderson met with Wayne Goodman, executive director of the Landmark Society of Western New York, he brought along a series of photos. They showed the former Adams Street home of James and Bessie Hamm, early 20th-century advocates of education for African American children, as it went from vital institution to vacant […]
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ANNUAL MANUAL ’12: Rochester Monuments
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 […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Jump Jim Crow (Part 2 of 2)
Read part 1 from this 2 part series here Slavery was abolished after the Civil War in 1865, but the aftershocks continue to this day. A key chapter in the history of race in the United States took place in the mid 20th century, whenmillions of Blacks migrated north from the segregated South. This two-part […]
