Times Square Building Rochester
The Times Square Building, standing at 45 Exchange Boulevard in downtown Rochester, New York, is one of the most distinctive Art Déco skyscrapers in upstate New York. Designed by Ralph Thomas Walker of Voorhees, Gmelin, and Walker and completed in 1930, the fourteen-story tower rises 260 feet (79 m) above Rochester’s Four Corners district. Its most striking features are the four monumental aluminum “Wings of Progress” sculptures mounted atop the roof, each measuring 42 feet in height and weighing twelve thousand pounds, which give the building an instantly recognisable silhouette unique in American architecture. The cornerstone was laid on 29 October 1929 — the very day of the Wall Street Crash — making the building’s subsequent completion a quiet act of civic defiance. Interior wheat motifs throughout the building pay tribute to Rochester’s historical identity as “the Flour City,” weaving the industrial heritage of the region into the decorative fabric of a thoroughly modern tower.
At a glance
- Type
- Art Déco office skyscraper
- Period
- 1929–1930
- Style
- Art Déco
- Location
- 45 Exchange Boulevard, Rochester, New York, USA
- Coordinates
- 43.1547° N, 77.6126° W
- Architect(s)
- Ralph Thomas Walker (Voorhees, Gmelin, and Walker)
Overview
Built as the headquarters of the Genesee Valley Trust Company at a cost of approximately 1.5 million dollars, the Times Square Building encompasses around 110,000 square feet across its fourteen above-ground floors. It ranks as the eighth-tallest building in Rochester. Sculptor Leo Friedlander, who would later contribute to Rockefeller Center, created the building’s sculptural programme, while the lighting fixtures were supplied by Edward F. Caldwell & Co., whose work also graces several landmark New York City interiors. A copper time capsule installed at the cornerstone ceremony in 1929 is scheduled to be opened in 2029, one hundred years after its sealing.
History
The Genesee Valley Trust Company commissioned the tower in 1929 to serve as its headquarters, choosing Walker — then one of the most respected architects working in the Art Déco idiom — to design a building that would project financial confidence and civic ambition. The cornerstone was laid on 29 October 1929, coinciding with the catastrophic stock market crash, yet construction continued and the building was completed and occupied in 1930. A copper time capsule sealed at the cornerstone ceremony, containing items reflecting life in 1929, awaits opening in 2029. In 2025 new ownership announced a thirty-million-dollar historic renovation to convert the upper floors into ninety residential units, ensuring the building’s continued relevance in Rochester’s urban landscape.
Architecture & Design
Walker’s design is characterised by a forceful verticality accentuated by the four aluminium “Wings of Progress” that crown the roof, each a free-standing sculpture 42 feet tall and weighing 12,000 pounds. These dramatic appendages, without precedent in American commercial architecture, transform the building’s skyline silhouette into an unmistakable landmark. Sculptor Leo Friedlander was responsible for the building’s sculptural ornament, while lighting fixtures by Edward F. Caldwell & Co. brought a refined decorative sensibility to the interiors. Throughout the building, wheat motifs embedded in the ornamental programme reference Rochester’s heritage as “the Flour City,” connecting the tower’s abstract geometry to local agricultural and industrial history.
Cultural significance
The Times Square Building is among the most architecturally ambitious Art Déco structures in upstate New York, distinguished by the singular invention of its rooftop sculptures and by the pedigree of its collaborators. Walker was one of the foremost American architects of the 1920s and 1930s, and the building demonstrates his ability to inflect the universal Art Déco vocabulary with locally meaningful iconography. The peregrine falcons that nest atop the building today, monitored by the public via the “R Falcon Cam” livestream, have added a contemporary layer of civic affection to a structure already celebrated for its architectural distinction.
Visiting today
The Times Square Building is primarily an office building, and public access to the upper floors is limited. The lobby and exterior can be appreciated freely, and the Four Corners district in which it stands forms the historic heart of downtown Rochester, making it a natural stop on any architectural walking tour. The ongoing historic renovation announced in 2025, which will introduce residential units, may alter access arrangements in future. The rooftop falcon nesting can be followed remotely via the R Falcon Cam webcam stream.
Getting there
The Times Square Building is located at 45 Exchange Boulevard in Rochester’s Four Corners district, the geographical and historical centre of the city. Regional Transit Service (RTS) bus routes serve the surrounding streets, and the building is within walking distance of the main downtown bus hub. Paid parking is available in several surface lots and parking structures nearby. From the New York State Thruway (Interstate 90), downtown Rochester is accessible via the Inner Loop expressway exits.
Sources & resources
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