Midtown Plaza, Rochester NY 1963

This authentic 1960s color photograph, captured in 1963, provides a view of the service and retail architecture of Midtown Plaza in Rochester, New York. The archival image highlights the multi-level complex, showing the modern glass and steel facade of the plaza’s upper levels situated behind the massive Sibley’s (Sibley, Lindsay & Curr Co.) department store building. In the foreground, a blue and white U.S. Mail delivery truck is parked at the Midtown Plaza Loading Dock, next to a sign listing various mall tenants. To the right, a white 1959 Ford Fairlane 500 is seen entering or exiting the underground parking garage. Midtown Plaza, which opened in 1962, was the first urban indoor shopping mall in the United States and served as a national model for downtown revitalization. While the mall was largely demolished in 2010 as part of a city redevelopment project, the landmark Sibley’s building still stands and has been beautifully repurposed into a mixed-use facility known as Sibley Square. This factual record preserves the industrial and commercial intersections of a pioneering piece of American urban design. All our images are available as royalty-free instant downloads for use in books, media, and creative projects – or make your own prints for home, work, or as a truly unique gift.