The Inside Downtown Tour once again presents a sneak peek at some of downtown Rochester's newest and most exciting spaces in which to live, work, and play. If you like to see what's hot in loft living, this is the tour for you, as we'll open the doors of both old industrial buildings newly rehabilitated as living spaces and new, loft-style apartments designed with the historic context in mind. If you like to see where creative people work in exciting, stimulating spaces, we have that too. And if you'd really just rather watch sports, guess what? We can offer you something even better...a behind-the-scenes look at Rochester's Frontier Field!
This year, we're on the west side of downtown, which offers a fascinating array of new and old buildings and the lively energy that can only come from a successful mix of uses. High Falls and the surrounding area have long offered options for dining and entertainment, but recently, this part of downtown has become a hot residential neighborhood as well. We'll show you what life is like for those who call the west side of downtown home: these lucky people can admire the Genesee River gorge from their apartments, stroll to a laser show or a baseball game (and never have to deal with post-game traffic!), or amble to their jobs at the numerous architectural, public relations, broadcasting, and graphic design offices now established in High Falls.
Since the last time the Inside Downtown Tour featured the west side of downtown Rochester, several new projects have come to fruition, making this an ideal time to revisit this evolving part of the city. The most dramatic change to the streetscape is the construction of the Mills at High Falls, a brand-new, mixed-use residential and retail complex that occupies an important block across the street from Kodak headquarters. By filling in a former parking lot and providing a critical mass of residents, this project has the potential to be transformational, both visually and functionally. The Mills offers 17 different floor plans, and we'll show you a sampling of this wide variety just as the project is coming online.
Another exciting recent project in the High Falls district is the Parry Building, which was on our tour in 2006. At that time, the building's owners were embarking upon an ambitious project to transform the building into loft apartments and offices. Owners Mimi Freund Tilton and Peter Tilton won the Barber Conable Award, The Landmark Society’s highest award, in 2008, recognizing the successful design of this adaptive reuse project by Pardi Partnership Architects. The design of the first-floor offices, by SEI Architects, won an AIA New York State Design Award, also in 2008. The architectural office and some of the apartments, all of which magnificently blend original architectural and industrial features with contemporary touches, will be open for the tour.
Have you ever wanted to see what Frontier Field looks like from the dugout, the press box, the locker rooms, or the luxury suites? The construction of Frontier Field is one of the latest chapters in the history of professional baseball in Rochester, which goes back to the first professional game in May 1877 at the city's first baseball stadium at the corner of Union and Scio streets (the Rochesters lost). The powers that be at Frontier Field have very graciously agreed to open the gates to us for a special behind-the-scenes guided tour of one of Rochester's most popular attractions, featuring parts of this sports complex that the public rarely gets to visit.
With these and other fascinating spaces to tour, you won't want to miss this rare insider's tour of downtown living. The tour will be held on Friday, September 25, from 5:30-8:30 p.m., and Saturday, September 26, from 11-4. Ticket holders will be able to visit the sites in any order on either day of the tour. Tickets are $15 for members in advance, $18 nonmembers, $20 on the day of the tour. Online ticketing for Inside Downtown is now available. Tickets will be mailed in August 2009. Go to http://www.thelandmarkcollection.com/detail.aspx?ID=493 to order using our secure server, or call 546-7029 x10 to order via phone.
We're offering a free Inside Downtown Tour ticket to anyone who joins The Landmark Society as a new member this fall, so if you're not a member – or if you have a friend who's not a member – be sure to join today to support our great work and enjoy one of our most popular events. (This offer is for new members only, not renewals.) You can find out more at http://www.thelandmarkcollection.com/detail.aspx?ID=568.
A tour guide booklet, with photographs and descriptions of each site, will be available on this website in early September. The guide will also be published in September as an insert in CITY Newspaper and distributed during the event.