Granite Building
Why it's listed
Rising twelve stories at 124 East Main Street in Rochester, the Granite Building was completed in 1893 as a department store and office block for Sibley, Lindsay & Curr. Architect J. Foster Warner designed it with a skeletal steel frame encased in terra-cotta tile, making it the city's first full steel-frame skyscraper. Its upper facade combines buff pressed brick, marble Ionic columns, a colonnade and white terra-cotta swags under a bracketed cornice, showing Renaissance Revival and Beaux-Arts influence. The 1904 Great Sibley Fire gutted the interior, though the building fared better than its neighbors and was renovated in 1904-1905. The lower two floors were later covered by modern storefronts, while the upper floors keep their marble floors, oak trim and a ten-story iron stairway. The building matters for its early role in skyscraper design, its link to Rochester's leading retail firm, and its place in Warner's career; he kept an office there until 1937.
Significance in brief: It was Rochester's first full skeletal steel skyscraper and is a distinctive example of Renaissance Revival and Beaux-Arts department store design. It is also tied to the Sibley, Lindsay & Curr retail firm and to the work of architect J. Foster Warner.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 84000290, listed October 11, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 124 E. Main St., Rochester |
|---|---|
| County | Monroe County |
| Listed | October 11, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84000290 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Architect: J. Foster Warner; Builder: Sibley Lindsay & Curr Company |
| Architectural style | Renaissance Revival with Beaux-Arts details |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as fair; present use is retail and vacant. The first two floors were heavily altered, and neglect is noted as a threat. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 43.15698, -77.60879 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 84000290.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5595833
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.