Downtown ROCs

Took a lunchtime stroll today to enjoy some of our Spring work... the recent rain providing a happy respite from the usual watering duties.

One of the most frequent questions we hear is whether we're worried that the flowers we plant will be stolen or vandalized. But the truth is that this almost never happens. And when it does, we replace them as quickly as possible, sending a clear message that someone cares for this place.

We can all be stewards of our public spaces. We can invest in and nurture them, clean them and beautify them. And by doing so, we encourage others to do the same.

It's a simple idea, but one we think really matters.

No, you're not seeing double! Today we partnered with RTS - Regional Transit Service & RTS Transit Center to landscape both sides of the St. Paul Street entrance to the downtown Transit Center. Special thanks to their Building & Grounds team for persevering through rain and 50 mph wind gusts!

Our goal with this project was not only to beautify a key downtown gateway, but also to enhance the public transit experience for riders.

Both gardens contain 18 unique native perennial species, intentionally selected to help strengthen our local bird, insect and pollinator ecosystems.

If all goes well with this collaboration, we hope to landscape the Clinton Ave entrance next year!

Off we go! Today we are partnering with RTS - Regional Transit Service & RTS Transit Center to landscape the St. Paul entrance to the downtown Transit Center. Check back later for the exciting results… rain or shine 😎

Yesterday, we completed our 35th potter of the season!!! Every flower planted adds more color, charm, and life to the heart of Rochester creating spaces that everyone can enjoy and take pride in.

Yesterday we added two new planters outside of 413 Church’s new home in the historic Temple Theater.

We’re excited to help welcome 413 Church to downtown and add a little more beauty to Liberty Pole Way.

In 1989, Margaret "Midge" Thomas commissioned a 3-headed brass water fountain for The City of Rochester to represent liberty, equality and humanity.

Inspired by a personal experience in which she was charged 10 cents for a cup of water to take medication, Midge wanted to make sure that anyone who needed a drink of water downtown could have one.

Several thousand people attended the original ceremony, and the fountain has been installed at Liberty Pole Plaza every Spring since. This week City crews placed the newly-repainted Jane Pittman Fountain in its rightful position, albeit for the first time without Midge in attendance💔.

Here it will stand through the heat of summer as a legacy to Midge's generosity and humanity.

Better?

There's a special satisfaction we get when we can rescue unwanted items and reimagine their use to beautify downtown Rochester.

So we are particularly thrilled about this past weekend's project in which we repurposed 6 concrete planters to dramatically enhance the streetscape in downtown's St. Paul Quarter.

The planters, over 1,000 pounds each, were recently decommissioned by the City and destined for the scrap heap. However, in the spirit of collaboration, the dedicated team from the Department of Environmental Services graciously agreed to recover and move the planters to their new homes, where we will care for them moving forward.

Special thanks to John, Chris, Angel and Renata from DES for truly going above and beyond to make this happen for the betterment of the downtown community. It shows what is possible when the City of Rochester, NY and its advocates work together!

We were at it again!!!

For the second year in a row, Downtown ROCs partnered with the RIT Center for Urban Entrepreneurship at 40 Franklin Street to plant flowers in their potters—18 flowers in each one!

Projects like this help make downtown Rochester welcoming for everyone.