Sibley Square two months away from completion
October 7, 2020
Rochester, N.Y. — Glimpes of old are part of the new Sibley Square project.
The former department store that is part of Rochester lore - particularly at holiday time - has found new life as a mixed-used project.
Apartments have already opened. Next month, the food hall will open, according to WinnCompanies, which is redeveloping the site.
The old clock from the famed department store is being placed back in its original spot. The elevator doors date to the 1940s, too.
The ground floor of the Sibley building will house locally-owned restaurants, two drink areas, a commissary with an industrial kitchen, and grocery store.
"I think there's such rich history," said Ken Greene, asset manager for WinnCompanies. "If somebody doesn't stand up and take the risks it gets evaporated. It gets torn down and eliminated."
The developers say being in the construction phase when the pandemic hit was a blessing in disguise.
"As soon as we heard about COVID-19 and some of the risks, first and foremost was, how do we create a safe space that people could go eat?" Greene said. They doubled the size of the dining room, spaced all tables six feet apart and put 30 feet of line space in front of every counter to allow people to social distance while ordering. They also added a mobile ordering platform.
Greene is hoping the urban food hall will bring more activity to downtown Rochester.
"People who live here could figure out how to meet other people who lived downtown or worked downtown and maybe people would stay in downtown longer, and people who live in the suburbs would have a reason to come downtown again," said Greene.
The apartments in Sibley Square have already brought people to downtown. Many of the apartments are leased and the few left are being swiped up.
"We have rents from ranging everywhere from $603 all the way up to $3,300, so anywhere that rent may fit your budget, we will definitely try and and find a home for you," said Brittany Broussard, regional property manager.
WinnCompanies say they are interested in pursuing other projects downtown..
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