City eyes $8M river terrace opening new views of old subway bed

Brian Sharp | Democrat and Chronicle

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Fenced off for nearly a year, the crumbling concrete terrace alongside the Rundel Library holds promise as a future downtown gem.

A nearly $8 million proposed makeover — expected to be included among the state-aided Roc the Riverway projects — would transform the terrace into a focal point. Plans call for a stepped-down, cantilevered deck with grated openings offering unique views into the graffiti-filled old aqueduct and abandoned subway bed below.

The interior views would be illuminated at night. Designs also show a water feature flowing through the terrace space before cascading into the Genesee River.

"When it is completed, it will be a real gem in our center city," said Alex Yudelson, chief of staff to Mayor Lovely Warren.

A significant portion of the project funding already is set aside in a combination of city and state monies. The project is listed among the city's highest priorities in the city's Roc the Riverway project list. That list was prepared after Gov. Andrew Cuomo set aside $50 million in the previously awarded revitalization funds for riverfront improvements.

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City officials hope to secure additional grant funding to offset the cost of artistic and other features highlighting the layers of history on site at the corner of Broad Street and South Avenue. At the library, staffers already are envisioning the possibilities of talks and poetry readings, musical performances and more.

Long-term, the north terrace work could complement a larger project that would strip Broad Street off the aqueduct and turn the South Avenue corner into an amphitheater. A narrowed-down list of recommended projects has been prepared and is awaiting Cuomo's sign-off and official announcement.

The north terrace is the latest and largest of the library infrastructure improvements phased over the past decade. Much of that work — and the current project — is focused on shoring up the substructure, as the library and its surrounds sit atop the old Erie Canal and subway, as well as 200-year-old Johnson-Seymour Mill Race.

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"We are going to honor that history in a much more visual way," said Brie Harrison, finance director for the Rochester Public Library, " ... where you can see the layers and what that corner really represents."

Water still flows beneath the library and is used for cooling the landmark building in the summer months.

The terrace project is in final design and not expected to get under construction until spring. An open call for public art submissions drew 63 entries, officials said; though a disappointingly low number of local artists applied. Work also would extend along the South Avenue frontage of the library, filling a portion of the old canal walled off and not generally accessible after the subway conversion, Harrison said.

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BDSHARP@Gannett.com