Midtown Plaza, Rochester NY 1963

This authentic 1960s color photograph, captured in 1963, offers a high-angle perspective from Midtown Tower overlooking the urban density of Rochester, New York. The archival image highlights the functional architecture of the era, focusing on the rooftops of adjacent tan and red brick commercial buildings equipped with large wooden water towers and industrial HVAC cooling systems. In the background, the city’s commercial character is further illustrated by a large rooftop advertisement for Pepsi, positioned near a sign for “Topper Beer.” This view captures the transition between the traditional early-20th-century brick skyscrapers and the modern, glass-and-steel influence of the Midtown Plaza development. Midtown Plaza was a pioneering achievement in American urban planning, designed to revitalize the downtown core with the nation’s first indoor urban mall. While much of the interior mall was demolished in 2010 to make way for new development, many of the surrounding historic buildings and the core of Midtown Tower—now Tower280—remain as integral parts of the Rochester skyline. This factual record preserves the gritty yet optimistic industrial aesthetic of a major New York business district during the early sixties. 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.