First Federal Plaza
| First Federal Plaza | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Status | Completed |
| Type | Office Revolving restaurant (before 1988) |
| Location | 26-28 E. Main St. Rochester, NY |
| Coordinates | 43°09′23″N 77°36′42″W / 43.1565°N 77.6116°W |
| Construction started | April 1974 |
| Completed | 1976 |
| Opening | June 1976 |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 21 |
| Floor area | 383,000 sq ft (35,600 m2)[1] |
| Lifts/elevators | 11 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Corgan, Balestiere and Leaper |
First Federal Plaza is a high-rise building located at 26-28 East Main Street in Rochester, New York, on the west bank of the Genesee River.[2] It is the fifth tallest building in Rochester, standing at 309 feet (94 meters) with 21 floors. It was completed in 1976.[3]
The building is known for its circular top, which used to be a 7,000-square-foot (650 m2) revolving restaurant called Changing Scene. The ledges and center of the 21st floor were stationary, while a 10 feet (3.0 m)-wide section of the floor rotated, offering a changing view of the city landscape. The restaurant operated from 1977 to 1988, after which the rotating mechanism was dismantled and the area was converted to office space.[4] The floor was later rented out by local Rochester attorney Christina Agola[4] and Panasonic.[5] In 2017, the band Joywave held a launch party for their album Content in the former restaurant space.[6]
The building is also home to the studios for the Stephens Media Group radio stations in Rochester. (WFKL, WZNE, and WRMM-FM). In addition to the studios, WZNE and WRMM-FM both maintain an auxiliary (backup) transmitter facility on the top of the building.[7][8]
The building has been used as part of 21 Stories for Scouts, an annual fundraiser for the Boy Scouts of America.[9]
Reynolds II LP purchased the building for US$6,100,000 in 1998. In 2024, it was listed for sale again, with an asking price of US$10,100,000.[2]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ Gandy, George (13 December 2024). "For sale — First Federal Plaza in Downtown Rochester". RochesterFirst. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
- ^ a b Oklobzija, Kevin (19 December 2024). "Could First Federal Plaza become Rochester's next residential destination?". Rochester Business Journal. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
- ^ "First Federal Plaza". Emporis. Archived from the original on 19 September 2004.
- ^ a b Morrell, Alan (22 November 2013). "Whatever Happened to ... The Changing Scene?". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
- ^ "Panasonic to take over former 'Changing Scene' space at First Federal Plaza Building". WHAM. 19 September 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
- ^ Spevak, Jeff (28 July 2017). "Joywave 'Content' in downtown flying saucer for album release party". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
- ^ Staff, FCC Internet Services. "Application Search Details". licensing.fcc.gov.
- ^ Staff, FCC Internet Services. "Application Search Details". licensing.fcc.gov.
- ^ "89-year-old grandpa rappels 21-story skyscraper". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
