Rochester's Downtown Architecture: 1950-1975

Following World War II, many American cities underwent a large-scale modernization to keep up with the changing times in business technology and architecture. With help from federal funding and planning, expansive and low-density modern projects replaced the crowded blocks of century-old buildings. State-of-the-art facilities featured large, open plazas that were the scenes of social and cultural events, attracting private developers to the city's core. Due to its participation in new policies of planning and the efforts of its strong preservation community, Rochester is today an interesting and sometimes perplexing mixture of densely packed, ornamental-19th-century buildings and monumentally scaled and architecturally stark projects of the modern era. Rochester's Downtown Architecture: 1950-1975 tells the story of the peak years of change to the built environment of Rochester's downtown.

The Images of America series celebrates the history of neighborhoods, towns, and cities across the country. Using archival photographs, each title presents the distinctive stories from the past that shape the character of the community today. Arcadia is proud to play a part in the preservation of local heritage, making history available to all.