{"nrhp_refnum":"73001204","name":"Powers Building","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"W. Main and State Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Rochester","county":"Monroe County","state":"NY","lat":43.155981215000054,"lon":-77.61305703599999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-04-03","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Art","Engineering","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A massive nine-story commercial office building at the northwest corner of West Main and State Streets in downtown Rochester, New York, built in 1869-70 for banker Daniel Powers and designed by Andrew Jackson Warner.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building was architecturally innovative for its scale and metal structural system and has been the keystone of Rochester's downtown commercial area. It was acclaimed as Rochester's first fire-proof structure and the only building west of New York City with elevators at the time. It is also closely tied to its owner Daniel Powers, whose wish for the tallest building in the city led to the added mansard roofs and tower.","narrative":"Occupying most of a downtown Rochester city block at West Main and State Streets, the nine-story Powers Building was completed in 1869-70 to designs by Andrew Jackson Warner. Its large windows relative to stone reveal an iron structural frame, and cast iron came from Daniel Badger's Architectural Iron Works in New York City. Inside, an ornate cast iron stairway rises through a central court, with marble wainscoting in the public spaces. The building was hailed as Rochester's first fire-proof structure and the only one west of New York City with elevators. Its upper stories form a series of mansard roofs, the second and third added in 1872 and 1874 as owner Daniel Powers, a banker and art patron, sought the tallest building in the city. Powers displayed his art collection here for twenty-two years. Although the ground floor has been altered, the building continues as offices and remains a major presence on the downtown streetscape.","period_of_significance":"19th Century; specific dates 1869-70, 1872, 1874","architect_builder":"A.J. Warner & Co., Architects (Andrew Jackson Warner); W.H. Gorsline, Mason; J.C. Wagner, Carpenter; cast iron from Architectural Iron Works, New York","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Still used for offices with some interior modernization; the ground floor exterior was remodeled in the twentieth century; condition marked good and altered.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:39.657806-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/73001204.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001204/4331e67efb-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001204/4331e67efb-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 4.0","author":"Kenneth C. Zirkel","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Powers_Building,_Rochester,_New_York.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Kenneth C. Zirkel</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Powers_Building,_Rochester,_New_York.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"100010188","name":"Four Corners-Genesee Crossroads Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/new-york/four-corners-genesee-crossroads-historic-district-100010188/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75318908","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powers_Building","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7236812"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/monroe-county/powers-building-73001204/"}