Midtown Plaza Ephemera Collection

Collection — Folder: 1-5

Identifier: 2021-005

Staff Only

Content Description

Midtown Plaza was the first downtown indoor shopping mall in the United States, opened in 1962. This collection consists of concept art, floor plans, architectural drawings and other ephemeral materials related to Midtown Plaza. Several items related to the Midtown Monorail and Christmas celebrations at Midtown are included. Also included is concept art for a planned Rochester Telephone Corporation building at Midtown. Much of the material in this collection is undated; the dated items come from 1978 to 1999, but it is clear that many items are significantly older. Several drawings bear labels as being from the studio of Victor Gruen, and must date to the era of Midtown's construction, circa 1960.

Dates

Creation: Circa 1960-1999, undated

Conditions Governing Access

There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of the collection.

Conditions Governing Use

Permission to publish, reproduce, distribute, or use in any current or future manifestations must be obtained in writing from the Rochester Public Library Local History and Genealogy Division.

Administrative History

Midtown Plaza was the first downtown indoor shopping mall in the United States. Announced in January 1958 and designed by shopping mall pioneer Victor Gruen, Midtown Plaza opened on April 10, 1962. It was the brainchild of Gilbert J. C. McCurdy and Maurice F. Forman, owners of the McCurdy & Co. and B. Forman Co. department stores, respectively. Both stores made Midtown Plaza home to their flagship locations. Besides the shopping mall, the Midtown site also included an underground parking garage and a commercial tower with office space and a hotel.

Midtown Plaza was initially highly successful. It was possibly best known for its massive Christmas display, including a monorail and "Magic Mountain." The decorative "Clock of Nations" is also well remembered. However, Midtown began to lose its customer base with the opening of multiple suburban malls in the Rochester area in the 1980s. The McCurdy's and Forman's stores both closed in 1994, and by 2002 the mall was on New York State's Empire Zone list as a place where tax credits would be provided for economic development. Even this failed to save the mall's viability, and it was announced on October 16, 2007 that Midtown would be demolished to make room for a new headquarters for PAETEC Corporation. The mall closed on July 29, 2008; demolition began two years later.

Extent

1.75 Cubic Feet (5 folders)

1.75 Cubic Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Arrangement

This collection consists of 5 folders.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

These materials were salvaged from Midtown Plaza prior to its demolition by City Historian Christine Ridarsky.

Bibliography

Caldor. "Midtown Plaza; Rochester, New York." Labelscar: The Retail History Blog. Accessed May 18, 2021 from http://www.labelscar.com/new-york/midtown-plaza.

Morrell, Alan. "Whatever Happened To...Midtown magic Mountain?" Democrat & Chronicle (newspaper), Rochester, New York, December 22, 2019, page A2..

"Midtown Plaza." RocWiki, accessed May 18, 2021 from https://rocwiki.org/Midtown_Plaza.