Working Within a Piece of History

Thursday, July 19, 2018 - 11:45am

 

Do you ever wonder what it would be like to go back in time and see what our city was like in another decade for a day? We at the Center for Dispute Settlement have the privilege of working in a building with such a rich history, which was once the main hub of Rochester, NY. The history of our office building, better known as the Reynolds Arcade is an amazing story. Take a look:

 

The Reynolds Arcade, built-in 1828 by Abelard Reynolds, and grew to be the “pride of early Rochester,” is arguably one of the most interesting and unique buildings downtown. Former D&C Editor Bob Marcotte once said, “long before Midtown Plaza became the nation’s first downtown indoor shopping mall, Reynolds Arcade was serving much the same function, and indeed could be considered its forerunner.”

 

Being the first indoor shopping mall with a lofty ski-lighted corridor that enclosed shops and offices within it’s four-floors. Reynolds Arcade was “destined to serve as the center of Rochester’s downtown life for more than a century,” the Barnes explain, or, as McKelvey put it, “the focal center of the community.”

 

It is an honor for us at the Center for Dispute Settlement to walk into work every day knowing that we are standing in a place where big things happened. Such as:  

 

  • The inauguration of Jonathan Child, Rochester’s first mayor under its new city charter of 1834.

  • A place where abolitionists often met to raise money and conduct the business of the underground railroad that helped slaves escape to Canada.

  • The YMCA became permanently established in Rochester (after two short-lived earlier attempts) after “a small prayer meeting held by six young men in the Reynolds Arcade,” McKelvey notes.

  • "Daniel Webster was but one of many noted visitors who spoke from the banister under the clock on the south wall,” McKelvey observed.

 

The Center for Dispute Settlement's main goal is to help grow the community and help resolve disputes peacefully. No matter the situation we are here to help! Learn more about us today.