Hello all, for the month of April we had the opportunity to tour the historic Rundel Memorial Building. Built between 1933 and 1936, the library is part of the Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County and stands as a striking example of Beaux-Arts design with Art Deco details. Overlooking the Genesee River, the building is uniquely constructed above an old canal and the subway, reflecting the city’s industrial past.
Sam and Frank, two of the facilities team led the tour for us and provided many facts about the building. Upon kicking off the tour, Sam took us two at a time to see an old, locked safe in a hidden portion on the front of the building, though he has tried to crack the code and find the riches it MAY hold, he has not been successful. They also shared with us that the building has been featured on “Ghost Hunters” as a ghost named Frank is said to be roaming the building. (No relation to Frank the maintenance worker) ((we checked)) Sam shared with us that a contractor that had previously done work there, swore to never do work there again after he was working on site he told an employee that he had left papers with “the guy down there” and the employee shared that there was no one else working. We were all surprised to learn that the original limestone on the roof was never mortared in that the blocks were being held in place by gravity until an upgrade project was completed to make sure that these would not be left to gravity anymore. The building has been kept in great condition and the original design features can still be seen today. We toured down in the library storage rooms, saw the maintenance spaces, the library’s central return room for all the books in the county, and made our way up to the penthouse where the chiller and air handler are.
After the tour we made our way across the street to another historic staple in downtown Rochester, Dinosaur Bar-B-Que to enjoy drinks and dinner as a group. We were very happy to have Sam join us and it was great to sit down and chat with members about the tour.
We hope to see you in May for the next tour.
