Downtown in Rochester in Monroe County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

The Reynolds Arcade

Photographed by Lugnuts, June 30, 2020

1. The Reynolds Arcade Marker

Inscription. Across the street is the Reynolds Arcade. When Abelard Reynolds, Rochester's first postmaster, found space in his frame house inadequate for postal work, he replaced it with an arcade (1828) modeled after one in Boston. The post office was later paired with Western Union Telegraph, founded by Hiram Sibley in Rochester. The Athenaeum Library and a weather bureau shared space on the upper floors with barbers, tailors, artists and other tenants. Their customers, mingling with citizens posting or picking up letter and telegrams, made the Reynolds Arcade the city's communication center. During the Civil War, residents flocked in to hear news from the battlefield.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Communications. A significant historical year for this entry is 1828.

Location. 43° 9.343′ N, 77° 36.725′ W. Marker is in Rochester, New York, in Monroe County. It is in Downtown. It is on East Main Street east of Exchange Blvd, on the right when traveling east. The marker is located on the sidewalk at curbside. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 13 East Main Street,

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Rochester NY 14614, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Upstate New York,

specifically in Western New York,

and in the Finger Lakes.

It is also in the American Northeast,

on the Great Lakes,

and in the Mid-Atlantic.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

New Netherland,

and one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Frederick Douglass 1815-1895 (within shouting distance of this marker); Historic Site in Journalism (within shouting distance of this marker); Powers and Wilder Buildings (within shouting distance of this marker); Tavern of Silvius Hoard (within shouting distance of this marker); Front Street (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Early Mills and Races (about 400 feet away); From Hunting Ground to City (about 500 feet away); Early Education (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Rochester.

Photographed by Lugnuts, June 30, 2020

2. The Reynolds Arcade Marker

The Powers Building can be seen in the distance.

The Reynolds Arcade image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Lugnuts, June 30, 2020

3. The Reynolds Arcade

Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 3, 2020, by Lugnuts of Germantown, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 560 times since then and 30 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 3, 2020, by Lugnuts of Germantown, Wisconsin. • Michael Herrick was the editor who published this page.