Bergmann Involvement in Downtown Rochester Revitalization Continues with Parcel 2

Bergmann’s involvement with the revitalization of Downtown Rochester, New York continues with the Parcel 2 Building at 260 East Broad Street, a new five-story mixed-use development on the corner of South Clinton Avenue and East Broad Street, located in the heart of Rochester’s Central Business District.

Bergmann is working in partnership with Buckingham Properties and LeFrois Builders as the architectural and engineering design team for this latest addition to the downtown landscape. The building is currently under construction and scheduled to be completed in 2021.

The approx. 107,000 square foot building is located along a prominent thoroughfare and is being built atop the existing three-story underground Midtown parking garage. Once complete, the building will include retail space, 28 residential units and commercial office space which will be home to the commercial anchor tenant.

Throughout the design process, Bergmann’s team considered the building’s exterior shell based on the firm’s knowledge of the City of Rochester’s design aesthetic and goal for enhancing accessibility and creating connectivity across Midtown Rochester.

• While the building design uses some traditional materials to fit within the existing context of downtown Rochester, the unique rhythm of windows, deep shadows of the inset balconies, and paneling inlays give it a distinct non-traditional character.
• Additionally, the surrounding landscape plays a significant role in the relationship between interior and exterior environments. While many of the surrounding buildings have solid bases or retaining walls to separate the first floor from the sidewalk level, Parcel 2 has large open areas of glass to connect indoors and out, and the plaza features continuous steps interrupted by seating blocks and planter boxes, to make the building more inviting and accessible.
• Given the location, adjacent to both Xerox Square and Parcel 5, Bergmann designers considered how the space around it would facilitate pedestrian access to activities such as food trucks, outdoor music and evening events.

The development of Parcel 2 is the latest in Bergmann’s dedication to ensuring a vibrant downtown. Bergmann was founded forty years ago in downtown Rochester and in 2017 relocated its headquarters from First Federal Plaza to Tower 280 in Midtown, neighboring Parcel 2. The firm has a history of involvement with downtown revitalization efforts, with recent projects including promoting investment along the City’s waterfront through ROC the Riverway and The Promenade at Erie Harbor; transformative planning and design efforts with the West River Wall and the Inner Loop North Transformation Study; and supporting the Blue Cross Arena’s transformation into a regional waterfront, year-round destination.