On December 23, 2022,The Genesee Valley Branch of the American Public Works Association (APWA) announced that the City of Rochester was the 2022 recipient of the “Project of the Year Award” (in the Structures $5-25 Million Dollar Category) for the ROC the Riverway: Rundel Memorial Library North Terrace Improvement Project. The Award was established to promote excellence in demonstrating creativity, ingenuity, and efficiency in the delivery of Public Works Projects that have a profound impact on the community. The award recognized the alliance between the managing agency, the engineer and the contractors who together have successful completion of a public works project.
On November 16, 2022, the Rundel Terrace project won the 2022 Reshaping Rochester Award for Design (in the “Large Project” category) given by the Community Design Center of Rochester.
“I want to congratulate the design team for this well-deserved award and thank them for their commitment to excellence and creativity,” said Mayor Evans. “The Community Design Center of Rochester is an outspoken champion for community vitality through purposeful design, so this recognition clearly demonstrates that our progress on the ROC the Riverway Program is matching its original vision to transform the Downtown riverfront into a vibrant public realm. I am grateful that Governor Kathy Hochul shares that vision and continues to support ROC the Riverway with her investments in Rochester.” Read the City of Rochester’s press release.
Photographs courtesy of Jon Spurr Photography for RPL.
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Read the City of Rochester’s project update
Read the City Newspaper article ‘ROC the Riverway Projects Advancing’ (Feb. 19, 2020)
Groundbreaking March 2020! (left); architect’s planning rendition (right)
see the City of Rochester’s Groundbreaking photos here
In September, the contractors poured the forms for the new overlook, which will provide a great view of the river.
In early November, the new overlook deck steel was placed on the Terrace.
Our artist, Chevo Studios, worked on their four distinct art installations for the Rundel Terrace.
The limestone column base is shown in process (photo below, left) and completed (center); they also completed the River Current seats (right).
Chevo Studios sent these pictures on their progress as of January 2021. Canal boat carving (below, left); canal boat carving end detail (center); limestone column texture (right). Installation of the artwork onsite to begin late summer 2021.
This aerial view (above) was taken from the third level of the B&L building, in the Teen Center mid-June 2021. In the left and center panels you can see the concrete forms for areas that will be landscaped, and in the right hand panel, the area that directly overlooks the river. The original architectural drawing, at the bottom of this page (image on the right), shows the same area.
The entire sidewalk in front of the Rundel Building (above, left and center) is almost completed (photo taken mid-October 2021). The wave-like patterns are visible now (above, right) where landscaping will be added.
Mid June, the intricate, symbolic carvings on the limestone are now clearly visible (above left); the cornerstone circular piece is being completed (center); aerial views of the landscaping (right) match the fluid lines of the initial sketches (below, right panel).
The Downtown Central Library’s Rundel Terrace Revitalization Project will transform a long-closed area into a new park-like public riverfront terrace, designed with spaces, pathways and seating for engagement, education and reflection.
As one of the first sites developed for ROC the Riverway, the city and state have committed nearly $7-million for repairs and maintenance underneath the terrace, and to commission site-specific public artwork for the new space.
See the Rundel Terrace Site History Timeline here
In addition to grants secured for the project, your donations helped us raise $8,200 through an online fundraising campaign, which was matched with a $4,000 grant from USA TODAY NETWORK’s A Community Thrives initiative! (A Community Thrives, which is part of the Gannett Foundation, supports non-profit organizations like ours with projects focused on community building).
The RPL released a Call for Artists/Request for Qualifications in summer 2018. A public art selection committee comprised of Library, City and community arts volunteers managed the process and ultimately recommended Chevo Studios from Commerce City, Colorado. Chevo Studios was selected in part due to their desire to narrate Rochester’s story through their work.
Based on public and stakeholder input gathered from fall 2018 through spring 2019, emerging themes to guide Chevo Studios work included the impact of water (river, canal) at the site, Rochester’s rich history of social and political progressiveness, and industrial innovation’s transformative impact on the region.
