Tag: Culture

Porchfest unites neighbors and celebrates community

Neighbors from across Rochester united in the Kutzky Park neighborhood this weekend for the second year of Porchfest, an event that partners local musicians with area homeowners who offer up their porches, decks, and lawns for the artists to perform.

Rochester’s inaugural Porchfest took place last fall and attracted nearly 300 attendees. This year’s event drew even greater crowds, with initial estimates at over 400, according to event organizer and Kutzky Park Neighborhood Association president, Jesse Welsh.

Fifteen musicians played at thirteen homes throughout the afternoon, and Welsh said some homeowners went above and beyond to draw in friends and neighbors. One couple had just moved into Kutzky Park less than six months ago, she says, but they loved the idea so much they took it the extra mile.

Ramping up Rochester’s innovation capacity

A diverse business landscape is critical to Rochester becoming a true Destination Medical Center. It will take more than excellence in patient care for the DMC vision to succeed. Susan Windham-Bannister knows this well.

Windham-Bannister is a life sciences industry expert and president and CEO of Biomedical Growth Strategies. She has spent years working in areas like New York, Boston, and Maryland to help communities create environments that are enticing to startups and established businesses alike.

Windham-Bannister joined more than 35 stakeholders from across the state to share her experiences and provide insight on how our own community should go about setting priorities to ensure DMC’s success.

Kicking off 2017: DMC puts you in the middle of it all

The DMC vision is not one that can be accomplished alone – or overnight. But with the advancements that took place on the DMC Development Plan over the past year, Rochester is well on its way to becoming a premier global medical destination.

It doesn’t take an urban planner to recognize the qualities it takes for a city to be successful. DMC is in the middle of it all: growth, investment, culture, community, innovation… the list goes on. And Rochester is hitting the mark on each attribute, ensuring 2017 will be another year of success.

Growth: A map on the DMC website highlights the fourteen projects currently in various stages of development in the DMC district, including the Alatus Development Project in St Marys Place (#14), the Titan-OPUS Project in Discovery Square (#3), and the Lofts at Mayo Park in the downtown Waterfront (#9), just to name a few.

Investment: Private investment gained significant momentum during 2016 that put DMC on course to reach the $200 million threshold that unlocks $585 million in public funds spanning over 20 years.

The Historic Chateau: Imagining the future and celebrating the past

Screen Shot 2016-05-28 at 7.09.55 AMWith Green River Soda and popcorn in hand, Rochester community members got their first look at the Chateau Theatre’s future last week.

The building, which was purchased by the City of Rochester last year, will be transformed into a multi-use performing arts space. Exactly what the building’s interior will look like is still in the planning stages.

But architects from Miller Dunwiddie Architecture, the Minneapolis firm selected by the Chateau Theatre Taskforce to reimagine the building, said that the Chateau will continue to be a focal point of downtown Rochester and the Heart of the City.

Q&A with Francisco’s Cuban Cafe owner, Francisco Corripio

When Florida native Francisco Corripio started coming to Rochester for medical treatment six years ago, opening a restaurant was the furthest thing from the long-time banker’s mind.

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Francisco Corripio

When Corripio learned that his medical treatment would be more extensive, he and his wife relocated to Rochester permanently. Last year, Corripio, along with members of his family, opened Francisco’s Cuban Café in the First Avenue Food Court on the skyway level of the 100 First Avenue Building in the Heart of the City. For Corripio, the café, which serves everything from fried plantains to Cuban sandwiches, was both a business venture and a personal necessity.

Healing through the arts

It’s very common to see patients and companions enjoying music or events in downtown Rochester’s Heart of the City.

Arts and culture are powerful tools with which to engage communities at various levels of growth and build community leadership – but they can also help in the healing process. At the Delores Jean Lavins Center for Humanities in Medicine at Mayo Clinic Rochester, staff and volunteers see the benefits of incorporating the arts into the healing process every day.

healing-art-brain“Many hospitals across the United States offer some form of arts programming,” says Dr. Johanna Rian, director of the Center for Humanities, “but Mayo Clinic has been offering the arts as part of the healing process since the early ‘80s.”

Embrace the Season with WinterFest and SocialICE

QuarryHill2014_452-658x330Winter is upon us! Rochester’s two favorite cold weather events, WinterFest and SocialICE, draw thousands from the region who embrace tugging on long johns and snow boots and heading out into the elements to enjoy all the activities. Quality public spaces contribute to the health, happiness, and well-being of a community and the development of such spaces is a key focus of DMC. These events, taking place in the Heart of the City, continue to evolve and move us closer to making the DMC vision a reality.

PB Dialogues: The future of the arts for Rochester

arts_pathA healthy community embraces creative expression. From painting and photography to theater and dance, the arts inspire us, energize us, and help us tap into our own imagination.

February’s Post-Bulletin (PB) Dialogue, moderated by PB editor Jay Furst, will gather several community arts leaders and advocates together to discuss the future of arts in downtown Rochester during an informal, 90-minute conversation at the Rochester Public Library.

MPR News: City of Rochester buys historic theater with help from Mayo

20150316_chateau-theater_33The city of Rochester has closed on the $6 million purchase of the historic Chateau Theatre.

The theater purchase is considered a Destination Medical Center project, which allows the expense to count toward the city’s $128 million contribution for public infrastructure costs. The Mayo Clinic paid $500,000 of the deal.

Rochester City Council President Randy Staver said it’s still unclear what the building’s long-term use and financial model will be.