John Griebsch Photograph Collection

Collection — Box: 1

Identifier: 2023-003

Staff Only

Content Description

This collection consists of 16 35mm slides of the 1983 Surplus World fire and 5 postcards of aerial art photography, all taken by John Griebsch. The Surplus World fire was one of the most destructive fires in Rochester, New York in the second half of the m20th century. It completely destroyed the primary warehouse and product holdings of a major dealer in military surplus material. Photographer John Griebsch is a specialist in aerial photography whose workd has been exhibited in major galleries.

Dates

Creation: 1983-2023
Creation: Majority of material found in 1983-10-31 - 1983-10-31

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.

Biographical / Historical

Surplus World was a major Rochester, New York dealer in military surplus goods founded by Bernard and Jerome Bachman shortly after the end of World War II. Bernard was a Rochester scrap dealer who bought a large quantity of miltary surplus from General Railway Signal, another Rochester company, shortly after the war's end. He decided that retailing and, in some cases, repurposing the surplus would be better for business than scrapping it. This led him to start Surplus World, which sold surplus on both the civilian and military markets worldwide. The company's headquarters and main warehouse were in an over 100,000 square foot complex at 1025 Chili Avenue, with a retail store in Peddlers' Village (now known as Village Gate in 2023). On Halloween night of 1983, the Chili Avenue warehouse was completely destroyed in a massive fire. This led to the loss of much of the company's inventory and its demise as a business soon afterwards.

John Griebsch is a noted aerial photographer from Rochester, New York. His work has been seen in exhibitions at major American galleries. This collection includes smaples of his art photography along with the primary collection of slides he took of the Surplus World fire.

Extent

16 Photographic Slides (One 35mm slide protector sheet.)

5 Photographic Prints

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Arrangement

This collection consists of 5 leaves..

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of John Griebsch, 2023.

Bibliography

Crosby, Steve and David Galante. "Warehouse Fire Wipes Out '30 or 40 Years."Democrat & Chronicle (newspaper), Rochester, New York. November 1, 1983. page 1A.

"About." https://johngriebsch.com/Artist.asp?ArtistID=7907&Akey=6N346RXE&ajx=1#!asset4046, accessed May 10, 2023.