Midtown Plaza, Rochester NY 1963

This authentic 1960s color photograph, captured in 1963, provides a high-angle bird’s-eye view of the B. Forman Co. department store rooftop within the Midtown Plaza complex in Rochester, New York. The archival image focuses on the industrial and mechanical aspects of the mid-century building, highlighting large B. Forman Co. branded HVAC cooling towers and mechanical units situated on the roof. The surrounding urban landscape features the contrasting architecture of Rochester’s downtown, including several multi-story brick office buildings and the modern, flat-roofed extensions of the plaza itself. In the distance, a hand-painted wall advertisement for “Community Savings Bank” is visible on an adjacent brick facade. B. Forman Co. was a premier Rochester-based high-fashion specialty store and a key participant in the development of Midtown Plaza, which was the nation’s first downtown indoor shopping mall. While the Midtown Plaza mall was largely demolished in 2010 to facilitate urban renewal, the original B. Forman Co. building was preserved and integrated into the new Sibley Square development. This factual record provides a unique perspective on the behind-the-scenes infrastructure of one of America’s most famous urban retail experiments. 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.