Photo Tour of 13 Cataract Street: Genesee Brewery Pre-Demolition
Thu, Dec 15, 2011 – Page 1 · Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, New York) · Newspapers.com
In the final weeks of 2011 it became clear that Rochester was going to lose a part of its history. 13 Cataract Street was the original brewery building for the iconic Genesee brand, and it was pretty clear that the structure was beyond repair. The roof had all but caved in, and water had flooded all of the basement levels and part of the first floor.
Only the first floor walls remain, bordering a parking lot for the new brewery building. As my luck would have it, I had the opportunity to tour the old building in the hopes of saving something of the 122 year old tower. Ultimately I did save a handful of items, and if there’s anything left of that lot they’re at Greenovation (1199 E. Main St, Rochester). Take a look at my photos from that day and you’ll understand why it was beyond saving.
This building could’ve been great had they saved it earlier. 
An office. 
Some stairs felt safer than others. 
If this building weren’t demolished it’d have one of the best views of High Falls. 
Water water everywhere. 
An office. 
Another office view. 
Architectural detail 
The large loading dock where rail cars would pull in. 
These tanks were massive. 
So much beer. 
I white-knuckled my way up 4 flights of these. 
What remained of the roof. 
The top floor had a gaping hole in the roof. 
4th floor storage 
This used to be a conveyor chute to move grain between buildings. 
An office 
I loved these old round windows. 
Possibly the 3rd floor. 
Another fantastic falls view. 
A first floor restroom had 6 inches of frozen water.