INSIDE DOWNTOWN
THE SAINT PAUL QUARTER BY LISA FEINSTEIN
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nce Rochester’s garment district, the St. Paul Quarter is now home to hundreds of residents, and has evolved into one of downtown’s most vibrant neighborhoods. Bounded by the Genesee River, the Inner Loop, Clinton Avenue North and Division Street, the district has seen significant private investment as several historic buildings have been rehabilitated for a mix of uses. This year, The Landmark Society’s Inside Downtown Tour focuses on this historic area of the city. Tour goers will have the opportunity to view modern living spaces within a district that has undergone many changes throughout the past decades. In the early 1800s, St. Paul Street was lined with single-family homes, one of which was the Andrews family homestead at the southwest corner of St. Paul Street and Andrews Street, now the site of Andrews Terrace. In the late 19th century, however, the area was re-developed to accommodate factory buildings and offices for garment and shoe manufacturers, as well as other trades. Many of those buildings survive to this day offering a variety of architectural styles. Rich detailing can be seen in such buildings as the Beaux Arts-style Granite Building, located at the foot of St. Paul Street, and the High Victorian Gothic H.H. Warner Building, which has a unique façade of cast iron and brick. Other significant works within the neighborhood include Our Lady of Victory Church by Andrew Jackson Warner, and the former Rochester Chamber of Commerce Building by Claude Bragdon. The area also features trendy dining and a vibrant nightlife. Known for such CITY • INSIDE DOWNTOWN 2010
Harry Forman Building, 116 St. Paul.
PHOTO BY JACK BLOEMENDAAL
popular venues as Tapas 177 and Pane Vino Ristorante, the neighborhood also offers more casual dining options such as L J’s II Jamaican Cuisine. Down the street, Full Moon Vista Bike and Sport, which is located in the Smith Gormly Building, carries a full line of cycling equipment, houses a coffee bar and hosts cycling clinics. Another popular destination in the St. Paul Quarter is the Water Street Music Hall. Previously The Warehouse and The Horizontal Boogie Bar, the site has hosted national and international musical acts for decades. Today the venue still draws thousands of music fans each year – booking acts from a wide range of genres. But recreation, shopping, fine dining and a selection of fashionable clubs are not enough for this hip neighborhood. Housed in the former Chamber of Commerce Building, the SUNY College at Brockport Metro Center offers an extensive schedule of college courses. The influx of new residential projects, in addition to existing successes like the Smith Gormly Building, Riverview
Lofts, Water Street Commons and the Michaels-Stern Building, have made the St. Paul Quarter the most populated neighborhood downtown, and transformed some of the city’s most beautiful examples of late 19th and early 20th century architecture into resi-dential spaces that accommodate the needs of the 21st century. Inside Downtown 2010 is a selfguided tour featuring sites that can be visited in any order. A two-day pass provides entrance to all stops during both days of the tour. The tour is Friday, September 24, from 5:30 - 8:30 p.m., and Saturday, September 25, from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Member and non-member tickets can be purchased through our web site, www.landmarksociety.org, by calling (585) 546-7029 x11 or in person at The Landmark Society at 133 S. Fitzhugh Street (9am - 3pm, M-F). Non-member tickets only will also be sold at Parkleigh, 215 Park Avenue, Full Moon Vista Bike and Sport, 180 St. Paul Street and Tapas 177, 177 St Paul Street.