I’ll keep this short. Honest. (Stop laughing).
But I do want to offer an update on the ongoing conversation here about the fate of the landmark 13 Cataract Street building.
From Albert Stone, 1917. To the left of center, with the steam, is 13 Cataract Street. On the right, immediately adjacent to the railroad tracks, is the former packaging center.
I have been in an email exchange with the staff of the building’s owner, North American Breweries (NAB). They have indicated that they have for some time intended to restore one building on their beer campus, that they assessed various possibilities based on size, space, cost, and location, and they did not select 13 Cataract Street, but instead chose another old building, the former packaging center. I am not sure why they decided to select just one building to save, but they did. NAB, the 8th largest brewing company in the U.S., decided that they would only preserve one of the historic structures on their campus. Seems a bit parsimonious at first inspection. But onward.
The lovely old packaging building.
13 Cataract Street, a historic landmark.
Having made their selection, they put 13 Cataract up for sale, and “dozens” of developers toured the hapless building.
They tell me that “serious” buyers concluded that the rehab costs were prohibitive. They peg these costs at $2 million to stabilize and $5m to $8m to adaptively reuse. I have not seen estimates or drawings of any kind, so I can’t assess whether this is right or wrong. But remember, there is a 40% tax credit for rehabbing historic properties. This would certainly reduce the project costs, by millions.
Then their explanations get a bit problematic, I think. They say that the reuse of the former packaging center “hinges on the abandoned buildings being removed.” Hmm. Not sure why – I suppose to make way for a parking lot. Why does their project “hinge” on the demolition of 13 Cataract? Have they asked the city about using a bit of the adjacent park to help them with their plans?
And the use of the word abandoned is odd. They are the ones who abandoned 13 Cataract. It’s their building, not an absentee landlord’s. If they think of the “abandoned” building as a liability, they might consider donating it. In an instant, the building would be saved, their liability would disappear, and the costs associated with stabilizing and reusing 13 Cataract Street would vanish.
And finally they tell me that they have a budget of $2.6 million, and that is the end of that. Okay, then.
They have also let me know that the brewery staff are folks of good will, trying to do a good thing for themselves and the larger community.
Okay again. Even people I admire enormously have made wayward decisions. I don’t know the beer folks at all, and I have no reason to doubt that they are good citizens. But I say again – tearing down 13 Cataract Street is not a good idea.
Another reason demolition, instead of the creation of a broader beer campus and area plan, is not a good idea surfaced Tuesday morning in our newspaper, when we learned that our gas and electric utility, RG&E, is decommissioning their facility immediately across the river, in preparation for some as yet unspecified future redevelopment. For this entire portion of our city, this is a moment rich with possibilities.
Finally, NAB suggests that we should not think that they are rushing to get this done, rushing to demolish 13 Cataract Street. Well, I wonder.
They filed an application Monday to tear down 13 Cataract. In the Tuesday paper was the usual threat: if we don’t get immediate approvals, “then it’s a different question altogether.”
But I have a solution, I think. I invite NAB to really reach out to the entire community, the city, the county, RG&E , and others for help in shaping a larger vision for the beer campus and High Falls. And let them ask us all for help in finding funding for a phased stabilization and adaptive reuse of both buildings.
And to find immediate extra dollars to get this done I propose something simple. They seem quite set on a budget of $2.6m. But if we could help them raise a few million more, we might be able to assist in saving 13 Cataract too. You know, a kind of beer version of a region-wide pass-the-hat bake sale for NAB and their landmarks.
All of you go along to your local pub this long weekend. Have a Genny or a Labatt’s Blue or a Magic Hat (NAB owns all of these). No, have several (designated drivers, please). The increased revenue from all this jovial beer drinking goes to the 13 Cataract Street Fund. We should be able to raise a pile of dough with just a little effort – bend an elbow or two, or three.
Save the Cataract. No, save both Cataracts. This blindness is curable.
Here in Portland, Oregon, good beer and old buildings go hand in hand and have created a special and unique identity for many of our best and most-sought after brews. In fact, the image of the historic buildings where these beers are brewed have even found their way onto the labels for Widmer, Bridgeport, McMenamins, Portland Brewing Company and others. The McMenamin brothers of Portland have actually made a business model out of adaptive reuse of elder “abandoned” buildings including old schools, old hotels, even old funeral homes (!) that have fulfilled their usefulness in one life, but offer a special connection to the past and a great place to appreciate the brewing tradition while drinking a cold one.
At 13 Cataract, the possibility of truly celebrating and showcasing the tradition of brewing by celebrating the original infrastructure in all its grace, and integrating that with a visitor center that connects with that tradition, particularly in context with the existing and planned campus there at High Falls, seems like such a great and obvious business opportunity. Restore the building and make it an integral part of the business model and marketing effort.
Turn that special and distinctive building into a mascot for the label, an identity and symbol for the company rooted in history, community, place and the best beer in the east.
Our most successful breweries here in Portland have proven that if you create that aura and sense of place with good beer and meaningful surroundings that have real atmosphere and history, the customers will most certainly come.
Saving this building could be a great local marketing opportunity. And obviously the historic nature of these buildings has some value for NAB – otherwise why not just tear them all down and put up a cheap steel building? If one is worth saving for NAB, surely the other one is too.
The amount of parking they are hoping to gain cannot be worth making this permanent decision to a unique company and community asset.
Thank you both for your contributions to the discussion. Clearly 13 Cataract is a place that represents value in many, many ways.
I too believe that historic assets are symbols of value for the larger community, certainly, but for their owners as well, if these places are honored and celebrated.
I note that the NAB proposal plans for the demolition of 13 Cataract Street to increase parking by something like 30 additional spaces. This does not sound like a terrific value proposition for anyone.
old mill buildings make interesting venues (in this case for wine not beer), like this one http://www.sunshinemill.com/ which wasn’t gorgeous like 13 Cataract to begin with…oh these awful stories of surface parking lots taking down wonderful buildings…tsk. What a culture.
Thanks. The sunshinemill site is interesting, and relevant I think. Readers, if you go to the link, take a look at the section of the site called “History and Projects.”
Here’s a little inside info. The $2.6 million budget includes $616,000 for the demolition of 13 Cataract St + the cost of the expanded & reconfigured parking lot, which would probably add between $100,000 & $200,000. So simply by leaving 13 Cataract St alone, they could save in the neighborhood of $3/4 million. The expanded parking lot would have only 24 additional spaces, not a great bang for the buck. The city offered the use of a little used parking lot in the adjacent park. The idea that this project ‘hinges’ on the demolition of 13 Cataract is completely an invention of the owners of Genesee. They seem to think no one will want to come to the visitor’s center if there is an abandoned building across the street. If this was true, nothing would ever get renovated anywhere!
Tim, thanks for the information. The NAB plan for 13 Cataract Street looks worse and worse the more we know.
Empty buildings represent value, not liability. Here’s a good case in point:
Brooklyn Brewery, in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, has been looking for years for a place to expand. In the end, they have decided to stay put. They have sold their 5-building complex for $16 million, will stay on campus for years to come, and will enjoy new neighbors as the campus becomes home to brewery + new residences. Not a bad value proposition.
The other day an article about 13 Cataract Street appeared in the local paper, the D&C. The comments were vitriolic, as usual, with one person writing: “Move forward and implode the building. Stop historical fanatics that impede progress!!”
Progress. Hmm. I think we have had more than enough ‘progress’ by demolition here in Rochester.
adaptive reuse in the urban cores have been central to the rebirth of cities….the buildings surrounding this proposed brewery will be worth more when they open…..i hate to say it …but someone has to…you can’t trust big biz…they always have ulterior motives…this is what eminent domain was created for……we don’t need another mickey d’s and walgreens on the corner……..
Business is business so I understand NAB’s proposition. I applaud them for doing something, specifically expanding and making their facilities a destination for citizens. I would have never known about 13 Cataract and I sure wouldn’t have gone to visit it. From the onset, yes I would like NAB to restore the beautiful building so when I do go to the visitor center I can then look on building. I believe this is where the city needs to step in. If they want historical buildings like this saved they need to create some sort of historical society/ special development commission that can give NAB real practical answers to restoring and using this building. Without city action the building will either be torn down or fall down without the help of NAB.
Greg, thanks for joining the discussion.
Actually, most of the resources you describe – offering special assistance to building owners in restoring and reusing historic structures – already exist. The city has Boards and Commissions that can offer guidance, expertise, and assistance. In addition, groups like the Landmark Society of Western New York and the Rochester Regional Community Design Center (RRCDC) can likewise offer experience and assistance. Many of us have restored or reused buildings in much worse condition than 13 Cataract Street, and we know how to get this done.
In addition, many of us know how to put financial tools to work to help make restoration and reuse feasible. It can be tricky, but with careful use of the financial tools already in place, this project could cost substantially less costly than NAB may think.
The key here is for NAB to see value where they may now see obstacles. There is the real value available in a restored 13 Cataract, there is brand value for NAB, and there is value to the larger community at High Falls and beyond.
And so we invite NAB to consider preservation rather than demolition – it’s the best option for them and for all of us.