Friends of the GardenAerial is seeking to transform Rochester's oldest neighborhood into an EcoDistrict through the GardenAerial project!

Friends of the GardenAerial sees this project as core to the organization’s vision to advocate for conversion of pre-existing structures & trails along the Genesee Gorge at High Falls into multi-use, extraordinary public green spaces.



Click on the image above to see a larger version of the schematic.

Brown’s Race has fallen into disrepair over the last 20 years and within the last several years; the pumping system failed and the raceway could no longer generate water through its raceway. This absence of water movement has led to waste and trash in the race, which is continually being cleared by City services on a nearly weekly basis. The raceway’s initial creation was designed to serve as a tribute to Rochester’s history and past namesake (when we were known as The Flour City). The race is in the heart and birthplace of Rochester but has now unfortunately become an eyesore. Its limited features have also created a concrete hardscape that needs softening with vegetation; it seems to be an ideal candidate for a lush, ornamental garden.

We believe that this project will unite key components of Rochester’s history by combing our identity as both The Flour City and The Flower City into one cohesive project for the first time. In creating a sunken ornamental garden within a mill race re-creation, we pay tribute to Rochester’s early identities and namesakes, and create dynamic educational opportunities to learn about both the history of High Falls and our heritage as a world leader and founder in early horticulture.

We will be working in partnership with the City of Rochester as they take steps to repair the structural integrity of the race itself. They have enabled the Friends of the GardenAerial to lead efforts in the creation of a sunken ornamental garden that will appeal to both residents and tourists. High Falls is an active tourist destination and boasts the city’s highest commercial occupancy rate. The ornamental garden is also in the footprint of our Greentopia Festival, which hosts nearly 30,000 attendees each year. Also, in 2015 the National Garden Club’s Annual Convention will come to Rochester, and our belief is that this project will serve as a showcase for the event. This garden will serve both the community and businesses in the neighborhood, while becoming a stunning attraction that is deeply rooted in (and is an interpretation of) Rochester’s history.

The sunken garden will focus on creating a year round attraction through the plantings of ornamentals, evergreen and deciduous shrubs, perennials, and a variety of grasses. The project scope will include creating the ability to heat the water in the race to allow for an active engaging garden even in the harsh winter months in upstate New York, and will feature a variable pump to create a ripple effect throughout the race. We also believe that the sunken gardens in the race will create unique viewing vantage points and perspectives with its pre-existing pedestrian bridges above the gardens themselves. Friends of the GardenAerial will also seek to utilize sustainable methods to heat and power these features, including exploring the use of rain barrels and wind power, and solar panel technology.

To enable night visibility, the race will feature lighting on both the water and plantings. Additional features of the Browns Race sunken gardens will include interpretive signage. A portion of the GardenAerial website and mobile site will be dedicated to the project itself. Social media will be utilized to create the possibilities of place “check-ins” including user-submitted photos that can expand marketing of the gardens “virally,” and create increased awareness.

This project represents both our past and future as we look to position our birthplace as a city to create the first ever EcoDistrict in New York State. We believe this first phase of the GardenAerial will enable a tangaible translation into future environmentally sustainable development.