Gannett Building

Last updated
Gannett Building
The Gannett Building.jpg
The Gannett Building in September 2017
USA New York location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location55 Exchange St., Rochester, New York
Coordinates 43°9′14″N77°36′45″W / 43.15389°N 77.61250°W / 43.15389; -77.61250
Arealess than one acre
Built1927
Architect Howell & Thomas
Architectural style Classical Revival
MPS Inner Loop MRA
NRHP reference No. 85002862 [1]
Added to NRHPOctober 4, 1985

Gannett Building is a historic industrial and commercial building located in Rochester in Monroe County, New York. It is a Classical Revival style structure constructed in 1927, with four major later additions. It was built to house the consolidated offices and newspaper printing facilities for the internationally prominent Gannett Newspapers chain.

Contents

One of the building's most visible features is a relief sculpture over the entrance of its east side. It was created by noted Italian sculptor Edmond Amateis. The work's central figure is Truth, guarding the eternal flame of enlightenment. The figures on the left are Fine Arts and Industry. On the right are Law and Agriculture. [2]

History

The five story 1949 addition was designed by Albert Kahn to house the printing presses until the presses were moved to nearby Greece and replaced in 1996. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. [1] and served as the world headquarters for Gannett until 1986. [3]

The building also formerly housed the local Democrat and Chronicle , one of largest papers in the Gannett chain from 1959 until 2016 as well as fellow original Gannett newspaper and later former sister evening paper The Times-Union from the opening of the building until the paper's demise in 1996.

Gannett Building east facade in 2010 Rochester - Gannett Building - east face - perspective corrected.jpg
Gannett Building east facade in 2010

In 2014 it was announced that Gannett was selling the Gannett building and moving the Democrat and Chronicle to a new building at the corner of Main Street and Clinton Ave on the former Midtown Plaza site. At 153,350 square feet (14,247 m2), the Gannett building is considerably larger than the new headquarters, which is 42,000 square feet (3,900 m2). The paper no longer needed the considerable space in the new digital age where newsprint in the United States is on the decline and the building which includes the space that formerly held the presses is expensive to maintain. The Gannett building is currently on the market for sale at an asking price of $3.5 million. [4] The Democrat and Chronicle moved to its new location on May 2, 2016.

Future

The Gannett Building post-Democrat and Chronicle is focused on office use. Developers plan to renovate the building into a full office building for multiple tenants with the added possibility of using the basement and former space that once held the presses as in building parking. The in building parking however that is dependent on the ability to use a portion of the former Rochester Subway which connects with the basement via two doorways formerly used to bring in printing paper for the presses as a vehicle entrance and exit to the in building parking area. The large, open floors make it attractive to tenants. Other possible uses include part residential and part ground floor retail. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gannett</span> United States newspaper company

Gannett Co., Inc. is an American mass media holding company headquartered in Tysons, Virginia, in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. It is the largest U.S. newspaper publisher as measured by total daily circulation.

<i>Democrat and Chronicle</i> Daily newspaper in Rochester, New York

The Democrat and Chronicle is a daily newspaper serving the greater Rochester, New York, area. Headquartered at 245 East Main Street in downtown Rochester, the Democrat and Chronicle operates under the ownership of Gannett. The paper's production facility is in Rockaway, New Jersey. Since the Times-Union merger in 1997, the Democrat and Chronicle is Rochester's only daily circulated newspaper.

<i>The Cincinnati Enquirer</i> Daily newspaper in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States

The Cincinnati Enquirer is a morning daily newspaper published by Gannett in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rochester subway</span> Former light rail rapid transit line in the city of Rochester, New York

The Rochester Industrial and Rapid Transit Railway, more commonly known as the Rochester subway, was a light rail rapid transit line in the city of Rochester, New York, from 1927 to 1956. The subway was constructed in the bed of the old Erie Canal, which allowed the route to be grade-separated for its entire length. Two miles (3.2 km) of the route through downtown were constructed in a cut-and-cover tunnel that became Broad Street, and the only underground portion of the subway. The Rochester Subway was designed to reduce interurban traffic on city streets, and to facilitate freight interchange between the railroads. The line was operated on a contract basis by New York State Railways until Rochester Transit Corporation (RTC) took over in 1938. The last day of passenger service was June 30, 1956. Portions of the right-of-way were used for expressway construction, while the rest was abandoned and filled in over the years. The largest remaining section is a stretch of tunnel under Broad Street from Exchange Street to the intersection of Court Street and South Avenue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenneth Keating</span> American politician, diplomat, and judge (1900–1975)

Kenneth Barnard Keating was an American politician, diplomat, and judge who served as a United States Senator representing New York from 1959 until 1965. A member of the Republican Party, he also served in the United States House of Representatives, representing New York's 40th and 38th congressional districts from 1947 until 1959. Additionally, he served as a judge of the New York State Court of Appeals from 1966 until 1969 and was U.S. ambassador to India from 1969 until 1972 and Israel from 1973 until 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Gannett</span> American publisher, founder of Gannett Company

Frank Ernest Gannett was an American publisher who founded the media corporation Gannett Company. He began his career in 1906 as half owner of the Elmira Gazette. He soon added newspapers in Ithaca, Rochester, Utica, and other cities in upstate New York. At the time of his death, the chain included twenty-two daily newspapers, four radio stations, and three television stations, largely based in the state of New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York World Building</span> Former skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

The New York World Building was a building in the Civic Center of Manhattan in New York City, along Park Row between Frankfort Street and the Brooklyn Bridge. Part of Lower Manhattan's former "Newspaper Row", it was designed by George B. Post in the Renaissance Revival style, serving as the headquarters of the New York World after its completion in 1890. The New York World Building was the tallest building in New York City upon completion, becoming the first to overtop Trinity Church, and was by some accounts the world's tallest building.

The La Crosse Tribune is a daily newspaper published in La Crosse, Wisconsin, covering the tri-state area of Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midtown Plaza (Rochester, New York)</span> Shopping mall in New York, United States

Midtown Plaza is a city district in downtown Rochester, New York. The site was originally occupied by an indoor shopping mall designed by Victor Gruen and opened in 1962. Although it was primarily promoted as a retail space, Gruen's vision was for the plaza to function as an all-purpose community space to revitalize the downtown area. The original mall was closed in 2008 after a decline in retail activity and partially demolished. Since 2010 the site has been redeveloped with new buildings and an open lot known as Parcel 5.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">11 East Forsyth</span> United States historic place

11 East Forsyth, formerly known as the Lynch Building and the American Heritage Life Building, is a historic structure in Jacksonville, Florida. Originally developed by Stephen Andrew Lynch, as its current name suggests, it is located at 11 East Forsyth Street in Downtown Jacksonville. On December 23, 2003, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Starks Building</span> United States historic place

The Starks Building is a landmark 14-story building on Fourth Street and Muhammad Ali Boulevard in Downtown Louisville, Kentucky, USA. It was built in 1913 on a site that had been the First Christian Church of Louisville. It was commissioned by local businessman John Starks Rodes and designed by the Daniel Burnham firm of Chicago. It is 202 feet (62 m) tall.

Park Point at RIT is an apartment complex and commercial enterprise on the northeast corner of Rochester Institute of Technology's campus in Rochester, New York. The property was initially being leased to Wilmorite Properties, until it was bought by American Campus Communities in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">811 Main</span> 630 ft skyscraper in downtown Houston Texas

811 Main is a 630 ft tall skyscraper in Downtown Houston, Texas. It was completed in February 2011 and has 46 floors. It is LEED Platinum Certified. When it was completed, BG Group Place became the 15th tallest building in Houston and features a skygarden on the 39th floor. It is the tallest building built in Houston in 23 years, after the Heritage Plaza was completed in 1987. The naming was done when BG Group Plc became an anchor tenant and leased 164,000sq ft of space.
The primary monument & all core signage for the facility was built by Ad Display Sign Systems.
Current major tenants include:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xerox Tower</span> Skyscraper in Rochester, New York

Innovation Square, formerly Xerox Tower, is a skyscraper in downtown Rochester, New York, standing at 443 feet (135 m) tall. The tower is the centerpiece of a roughly 2.7 acres (1.1 ha) complex named Xerox Square. When it was built in 1967, it was the tallest building made of poured-in-place exposed aggregate concrete. It is the tallest building in Rochester, as well as the third tallest building in New York outside of New York City. It was initially used as the headquarters of Xerox Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">229 West 43rd Street</span> Office skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

229 West 43rd Street is an 18-story office building in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1913 and expanded in three stages, it was the headquarters of The New York Times newspaper until 2007. The original building by Mortimer J. Fox of Buchman & Fox, as well as a 1920s addition by Ludlow & Peabody and a 1930s addition by Albert Kahn, are on 43rd Street. Shreve, Lamb & Harmon designed a wing on 44th Street in the 1940s. Columbia Property Trust owns most of the structure as an office building while Kushner Companies owns the lowest four floors as a retail and entertainment complex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Five Star Bank Plaza</span> Office in NY, United States

Five Star Bank Plaza is a high-rise building located in Rochester, New York, United States, designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. It is the sixth tallest building in Rochester and was originally built as Marine Midland Plaza. Site preparation work started December 1967, with groundbreaking on February 5, 1968. Standing at 284 feet (87 m) with 21 floors, the building was topped out on July 10, 1969 and opening day was April 15, 1970. Tishman Realty & Construction, who built the Original World Trade Center Complex, were the builders. The building was renovated in 1999. It has 560 parking spaces and 380,000 square feet (35,000 m2) of gross building area; 351,400 of it being usable.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Express Avenue</span> Shopping mall in Chennai, India

Express Avenue is a shopping mall in Chennai promoted by Express Infrastructure, A division of Express Newspapers Pvt. Ltd. which is bought by Ramnath Goenka from the monies of tha capitalists partner Raja Mohan Prasad and is held in trust by the current legal heirs for the family of Raja Mohan Prasad as per the trust deed given by Ramnath Goenka to Raja Mohan Prasad and is home to the largest gaming arcade in South India. Built at a cost of 7,500 million (US$94 million), the mall is spread over 1,750,000-square-foot (163,000 m2), including 900,000-square-foot (84,000 m2) of leasable (retail) area. The mall has 8 anchor tenants and 150 vanilla tenants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Talman Building</span> Historic building in Rochester, NY

The Talman Building is a historic site at 25 E. Main Street, Rochester, New York, used as an office by Frederick Douglass in editing and publishing the abolitionist journal, The North Star from 1847 to 1863.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sibley's, Lindsay and Curr Building</span> Historic high-rise building in Rochester, New York

Sibley's, Lindsay and Curr Building is a historic commercial building located at Rochester in Monroe County, New York. It was designed by noted Rochester architect J. Foster Warner and built for Sibley's in 1904. The original wing of the building was constructed in 1906 as a five-story, Chicago school style skeletal steel building sheathed in brown Roman brick with deeply set Chicago style windows, topped by a clock tower with Baroque and Renaissance style details. Additions were made to the building in 1911 and 1924, including a 12-story tower section.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank & Seder Building (Pittsburgh)</span> Commercial in Pennsylvania, U.S.

The Frank & Seder Building is a 30-metre (98 ft), 7-story, former department store building completed in 1918 on Smithfield Avenue in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The building is a contributing structure in the Pittsburgh Central Downtown Historic District.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. Image of Amateis sculpture
  3. "Cultural Resource Information System (CRIS)". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Archived from the original (Searchable database) on 2019-04-04. Retrieved 2016-04-01.Note: This includes Ted Bartlett (August 1985). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Gannett Building" (PDF). Retrieved 2016-04-01. and Accompanying two photographs
  4. "D&C announces plans for new downtown home". Democrat and Chronicle. October 29, 2013.
  5. Sharp, Brian (April 29, 2016). "Office use is future focus for 55 Exchange". Democrat and Chronicle.