URBAN LIVING, REVITALIZED
Welcome to 300 Alexander, located on the southeast corner of prestigious East Avenue and Alexander Street in Rochester, New York. The imposing brick and mortar exterior has graciously sheltered many over the years, but to fully appreciate all of what this historic building offers its current residents, we have to consider its roots.
History in the Making
It was 1869, during the Victorian Era (1837-1901), when architect and Rochester, New York native John Rochester Thomas was commissioned to build a dormitory on the Rochester Theological Seminary campus.
The architectural style was French Second Empire, popular in the United States from 1855 to 1885, particularly in the Northeast. Trevor Hall, as the addition was called, wore all the telltale signs of the period: iron crested towers jutting up from a flat roof, heavily-bracketed cornices and quoins (large rectangular blocks of stone or brick used to accent outside corners), and rows of tall and thin, arched windows. It was boxy and symmetrical. And public areas inside, such as the central parlor, were just as ornate, with weighty coffered ceilings and dark, wood paneling.
Some years later, the campus grew with the addition of Rockefeller Hall (named after its infamous benefactor), consisting of a library, lecture hall, museum, and chapel. Trevor Hall was also expanded to form the existing U-shaped building and center courtyard, and recast in the more simplistic neoclassical style of the time. To accomplish this, architect J. Foster Warner removed the lofty top story and ornate Mansard roof. Upon completion, in 1907, Trevor Hall had a new look and a new name: Alvah Strong Hall, in honor of the project benefactor Henry A. Strong’s father.
Time marched on and so did the building’s inhabitants. The seminary had long since moved to Goodman Street when the property was sold in 1929, and Rockefeller Hall and the chapel were demolished. The building changed hands one more time before the parlor in Alvah Strong Hall was subdivided to form a rotunda and two apartments, and the existing classrooms, offices, and dorm rooms were converted to 74 more apartments. It was 1943, and this was the Alexandrian Apartments.
Upcycling the Past
After a time, the apartment building sat vacant once again. Mark IV Enterprises purchased the building in an online auction in 2012. It was in a sad, neglected state, but the developer worked closely with Bero Architecture PLCC, as well as the State Historic Preservation Office, National Park Service, Secretary of the Interior, and Rochester Preservation Board, to make the $10 million revitalization project a success.
“This project was particularly important to us as a firm due to its very rich history embedded in the roots of this city,” said Mark IV Chief Operating Officer Steve DiMarzo.
Upon completion, the project won the Barber Conable Award in 2015. Qualifications for this award require the project to be a major rehabilitation of a historic building. Old fabric must be sympathetically maintained and new construction must be compatible and of high authentic quality.
Old Fabric Maintained
The exterior of the building has changed little. Mainly modern conveniences were added, such as a new elevator shaft to safely carry residents to the upper-level floors, and a canopy over the south entrance to shield those who enter from the elements. All new landscaping, sidewalks, lighting,
and parking improve accessibility to the building. The front draws you past a wrought iron fence-and-pier system, resembling that which originally existed, and into a freshly manicured garden. Footpaths lead to the rehabilitated balustrade and semi-circular veranda that has welcomed guests for 150 years.
DiMarzo said the hardest part of the project “… was probably the dismantling, reconfiguration, and re-construction of the front stone and masonry balustrade, which is most visible from Alexander Street.”
New Construction of Compatible and High Authentic Quality
Inside, the rotunda, carved out of the original central parlor in the 1940s renovation, remains; and the coffered ceiling, paneling, and two French double doors on either side of the space are restored. The doorways that used to lead to two separate apartments now serve as windows, allowing light to spill through from the front entrance into a cozy public lounge on the other side of the rotunda. This bonus room features the original fireplace and sections of the original wood paneling, now painted white. Unlike the original parlor in Trevor Hall, the lounge is bright and inviting and the furnishings are simple and understated.
Reconfiguring the apartments was the second hardest part of the project. “While the original building had 77 apartment units, our architectural redesign decreased that number to 58, so the first phase of demolition was quite lengthy, meticulous, and involved. … Historical renovations are challenging to say the least due to the numerous unknowns/historical voids,” DiMarzo said.
Apartment Living at Its Best
Finished in 2014, 300 Alexander offers four floor plans. A one-bedroom is 450 to 870 square feet and a two-bedroom is 850 square feet. Unique features include 10- to 12-foot ceilings, extensive trim replicated to the original millwork profiles, original maple floors, and period windows that have been improved. The apartments on the first floor feature the original stained glass windows.
Each apartment includes high-efficiency, stainless steel appliances, period style cabinetry, open concept kitchen and living areas, and many other modern conveniences and high-end finishes – all with the finely-crafted aesthetic of a bygone era.
To learn more about 300 Alexander, please go to www.300alexander.com.