ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Joseph A. Floreano Rochester Riverside Convention Center is set to receive its first major renovation in 40 years, with $59 million in state funding allocated for the project. However, the former Riverside Hotel, which is physically connected to the convention center, remains a significant problem.
The Riverside Hotel, once the largest hotel in the county with nearly 500 rooms, has been closed and vandalized since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the convention center’s upcoming renovation, the hotel’s condition continues to deteriorate, with more broken windows visible.
“The elephant in the room or the elephant downtown is this place behind us,” I said to Don Jeffries as we stood under the skywalk between the convention center and the former Riverside Hotel.
“Yeah, I’m not looking at it,” he said with a laugh.
Over the past two years, News10NBC has reported on various issues at the hotel, including people breaking into the building and destroying penthouse suites, vandals throwing chairs onto the frozen river, police arresting individuals with break-in tools and an arson incident in 2022 that led to a lawsuit with the insurance company.
The lawsuit has 130 filings including one on December 8th.
Berkeley Brean, News10NBC: “How big of a problem is that to what goes on here?”
Don Jeffries, Visit Rochester: “Yeah, and what happens is, they had 436 rooms when they shutdown. And then they had the rain that caused the damage.”
The city’s request for design and construction proposals for the convention center specifically mentions the “future redevelopment of the Riverside Hotel.”
Berkeley Brean: “That hotel across the street… What’s going on there?”
Mayor Malik Evans, City of Rochester: “The hotel is in the pipeline to have work started on it.”
Mayor Malik Evans emphasized the importance of the hotel, stating, “But that hotel is absolutely critical to the success of the overall convention center.”
Jeffries added, “If we can get that hotel open and this $60 million renovation here, we will have a real leg up on the competition bringing meetings and conventions here.”
Despite numerous attempts to contact the owner and developers including emails today, they have not responded to inquiries.
The convention center renovation will focus on improving the facility’s infrastructure, including a larger kitchen, updated heating and air conditioning, new carpets, walls and lighting. The city also aims to create a better connection between the center and the river.
The convention center currently hosts up to 120 meetings per year and competes with facilities in Buffalo, Hartford and Cleveland.
Berkeley Brean: “This place was built in 1985. It probably needs an overhaul.”
Don Jeffries, Visit Rochester: “It does. The kitchen is way to small. One of the thing the convention center does is, they do all their own food.”
The city’s request for proposals for design and construction was released on Tuesday, with a deadline set for the end of January. The budget for the project is $59 million, which comes from state funding.
Mayor Malik Evans, City of Rochester: “Convention centers around the state have gotten state money to be renovated. So this is a major win for our community.”
Jeffries emphasized the importance of conventions and visitors to the local economy, stating that they contribute to the tax base and help prevent tax increases for residents.
Construction on the convention center renovation is set to begin in 2029.
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