A look at life in Rochester in the 1960s: Over 100 photos (2025)

The first balls roll pinward at the opening of the 1966 ABC (American Bowling Congress) Championships Tournament at the Rochester War Memorial. The ABC Championships came to Rochester twice, 1956 and 1966.

Bishop James E. Kearney with Mrs. Bernard P. Soehner and Mrs. Robert Odenbach discuss the Seton Charity Ball. Kearney served as bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester for nearly 30 years before retiring in 1966.

Golfers complete the 18th hole during the Country Club of Rochester's 38th annual Invitational Golf Tournament. From left to right are an unidentified caddy; Ashley Wilson; Dr. Frank P. Smith is putting; Karl Gath; and Ira Kaufmann.

Parking was at a premium at Durand-Eastman Beach on July 5, 1965. Use of the beach, which had a bathhouse on its eastern end, peaked in the early 20th century. The beach spent most of the second half of the century closed to swimmers mostly due to pollution.

Arriving passengers navigate a darkened Monroe County Airport that's by lit by truck lights during the Nov. 9, 1965, Northeast blackout that spread from Ontario, Canada, to 10 U.S. states. The blackout left 30 million people without power for up to 13 hours.

The Elwood Building (tower topped building at Four Corners), the adjoining Exchange Building on State Street and 30-34 State St. building, as they looked back on Nov. 16, 1965. All three were torn down and replaced by the Crossroads Office Building.

Crowds wander among the lilacs at Highland Park on May 28, 1966.

Michael D. Pastorelle, clerk of Monroe County Board of Supervisors, samples a tomato during a tour of the Genesee Valley Regional Market by city and county officials. The tour was aimed at convincing officials to close the Rochester City Market.

Danny Teall of South Drive delivers his Rochester Times-Union newspapers on Greece overflowing with water from Lake Ontario.

John H. Castle Jr., general chairman of hospital fund drive, holds sign showing amount raised for area hospitals as other officials look on. The money was used to help expand and modernize each of the six general hospitals in Rochester.

Hubert H. Humphrey and his Secret Service officers visit Rochester in 1966. At the time, Humphrey was vice president in Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson's administration.

Houses on Union and George streets await the wrecking ball as Rochester neighborhoods, many which were home to minority groups, are demolished to make way for construction of Inner Loop.

Lyndon B. Johnson, D-Texas, is mobbed during a visit to Rochester in 1960. Johnson enjoyed seemingly warm welcomes from the public at his appearances, with photos showing adoring crowds clamoring for autographs or handshakes.

Holly Raines, a senior at Penfield High School, smiles after being selected as Rochester's 1967 Junior Miss.

A large crowd gathers to hear Democratic Presidential Candidate John F. Kennedy speak during a 1960 visit to Rochester.

People were straining to touch Democratic candidate John F. Kennedy before he flew out the Rochester Municipal Airport during the 1960 presidential campaign. Many teens were on hand to see him off.

The corner of East Main and Franklin streets in 1961, before they were all torn down to make way for Liberty Pole Plaza. Local trivia: The Liberty Pole's architect, James H. Johnson, was also creator of the famous Mushroom House in Perinton.

Malcolm X is shown during a February 1965 visit to Rochester. He was assassinated in Harlem just six days after the visit.

Decorator hangs ornaments on one of 12 trees representing countries on Midtown Plaza's Clock of the Nations, as part of mall's holiday decorations.

Midtown Plaza under construction in Feb. 14, 1961, in downtown Rochester. The downtown mall opened to shoppers in April 1962.

Midtown Plaza construction back in Feb. 14, 1961.

The big bath house at Ontario Beach, a Charlotte landmark, is seen in this Oct. 10, 1968, photo.

Crowds gather atop the Monroe County Civic Center as the American flag flies at half-staff after the assassination of civil rights leader the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968. King visited Rochester several times.

Democrat Hubert Humphrey visits Rochester during his 1968 presidential run.

Sens. Robert Kennedy and Jacob Javits toured migrant labor camps in Wayne County in 1967. "If conditions like those we saw don't violate the legal laws of the land, they violate the moral laws," Kennedy said about the living conditions.

A huge column of smoke rises from a 1967 fire in Rochester as people look on.

Millie Martorella of Rochester was one of the best female bowlers in the U.S. in the late 1960s. and was named Bowler of the Year in 1967.

Sen. George McGovern, D-South Dakota, speaks at the commencement ceremony at Brockport State College on June 1, 1969.

For decades, people flocked to Mendon Ponds Park to swim. Monroe County prohibited swimming there in the 1990s and the once-popular area has been reclaimed by nature.

Monroe County Harvest Queen Ann Spencer boards a plane at Rochester Municipal Airport with alternate Ann Baynes in 1967.

John Kinne is in handcuffs following his arrest in the rape and strangulation of 12-year-old Mayran Hacinliyan in 1969. Kinne, who was convicted in the case, killed the girl in her Rochester home just three days after his release from Attica.

Investigators search for clues in an Ontario County gravel pit in 1969 the day after the body of Marta Kristine Polis was discovered there. William Reid pled guilty to the murder in 1972.

The American Falls were shut down for months in 1969 so the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers could study how to best remove the debris at the base of Niagara Falls. A network of pipes was needed to water the shale to keep it from drying out and crumbling.

Jack Nicklaus mounted a late challenge at the 1968 U.S Open, but he couldn't catch the superb Lee Trevino. Nicklaus finished in second place, four strokes off the lead.

Joe Platt Jr waits outside the courtroom for a verdict in his $3 million lawsuit against three Rochester Police Detectives and the City of Rochester. Platt alleged that police beat him January 1969 into confessing to a robbery he didn't commit. He was later acquitted.

The Platt Street Bridge over the Genesee River was closed in 1968 because it was unsafe for vehicles to use. It was later converted to a pedestrian bridge and renamed Pont de Rennes bridge.

Gary Player was never able to recover from a mediocre opening round of 76 at the 1968 U.S. Open at Oak Hill Country Club. He finished the tournament 12 strokes behind the winner, Lee Trevino.

Black students walk to school on Joseph Avenue, circa 1967. Schools in Rochester were still heavily segregated in the 1960s.

Smoke billows from Ridge Lumber Co.'s main facility at 600 Hollenbeck St. in 1969. Over 100 firefighters battled the blaze and news accounts said it worst fire Rochester had seen in eight years.

A note on a chalkboard during the 1969 lockout at Colgate Rochester Divinity School. Following the death of Martin Luther King Jr. the year before, the newly formed Black Student Caucus decided it was time for change on the nearly all-white campus.

Lee Trevino, left, is awarded the trophy by Jack Nicklaus, center, after winning the U.S. Open at Oak Hill Country Club in Pittsford in June 1968. It was the first of six majors for Trevino during his PGA career.

A little girl looks amazed by this big guy who was towering over a North Street gas station.

A crowd gathers at the Greenwood Area Arts Festival on Aug. 23, 1969. That festival grew into the Corn Hill Arts Festival, which this year is set for July 13 and 14.

Two men from Rochester have been awarded the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest honor for valor in combat. Sgt. Gary Beikirch, seen here in Vietnam in 1968, repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire to treat the injured and dying while ignoring his own wounds.

The 1968 Charlotte High School swim team. The school required boys to swim nude in gym class. Charlotte High School Yearbook 1968 The 1968 Charlotte High School swim team. The school required boys to swim nude in gym class.

This photo from 1967 shows construction of Xerox Tower. When finished, it was the tallest building in Rochester. These days it's called Innovation Square.

Bathers flock to Ontario Beach Park in Charlotte to escape the heat on July 25, 1966.

A crowd winds around the grounds and bandstand as people lined up to see Penfield's new town hall at the Sept. 18, 1966, dedication.

East Rochester employees John Mousso, right, and John Welch, install new meters in village's municipal parking lot in this 1963 photo.

Cheryl Voller, the 1965 Roberts Wesleyan College homecoming queen, is crowned by 1964 Queen Alberta Osbourne.

Cars were stuck on Park Avenue during the Blizzard of '66. In all, 28.8 inches of snow fell Rochester from Jan. 29 through Feb. 2. Still, Rochester escaped the worst of the blizzard that left 100-inch snowfalls and 30-foot drifts near the east end of Lake Ontario.

Traffic stretches back on the Elmwood Avenue bridge in Rochester.

In this 1961 photo, traffic moves north on North Clinton Avenue at Division Street while an RTS bus heads south in a special lane permitting buses to move opposite to one-way traffic.

Nick Tahou stands in front of the old B&O Depot on West Main Street around 1963. He was in the process of converting it into Nick Tahou Hots, home of Rochester's famous Garbage Plate.

Bob Perreault was the primary goaltender for the Amerks' Calder Cup-winning teams in 1966 and 1968.

In this 1961 photo, cars fill North Plymouth Avenue at 5 p.m. in this view from Broad Street during an RTS strike.

The RKO Palace at North Clinton Avenue and Mortimer Street. Everything about the 3,000-seat theater was top-shelf: The enormous crystal chandeliers, the vast mirrored lobby, the elegant women's and men's lounges. It was torn down in 1965.

A technician mixes the ingredients of a photographic emulsion at Kodak in 1962.

Traffic rolls over a newly opened stretch of the Eastern Expressway in 1961 as seen from the Winton Road bridge. The expressway was part of the proposed Interstate 490, a limited-access highway carrying traffic to the New York Thruway.

Fred Hoyt, Greece Public Library board chairman, spreads mortar for the cornerstone of a new library building.

Trent Jackson of Franklin, right, dribbles past two Lyons defenders, including Jim Boeheim, left, in the 1961 Section V Class AA semifinals. Franklin won the game but lost to Webster in the championship.

The Inner Loop can clearly be seen in this aerial photo of downtown Rochester July 10, 1965.The cleared area along the Genesee River is the former location of Front street, one of city's most colorful streets.

Heavy work for a boy from the farm in the April 1965 photo from Rochester Public Market.

Greece, Monroe County's most populous town, was still the fastest growing back in 1965. Photograph is of the Churchill Drive-Kartes Drive-El Mar Drive-Picturesque Drive-Maria Elaina Drive neighborhoods just off Mt. Read Boulevard.

Weary feet give out on some visitors who took advantage of a place to park amid the foliage in the new indoor shopping plaza on opening April 11, 1962.

Christmas shoppers crowd downtown streets on Nov 26, 1965, at the start of the holiday shopping season.

It was the last day of phone operators at the Hillside Exchange in Rochester on Dec. 4, 1961. It was used for 38 years. This is Lucille Isaac, chief operator at the time.

A line of last-minute license applicants snakes around corner of Terminal Building and into Broad Street from the basement Auto License Bureau in the Civic Center Garage.

Beansey Altman's clothing store on Front Street, seen in this 1965 photo, was considered a great place for bargains.

The 1965 phone book from the Rochester Telephone Corp. is ready to be distributed to businesses and households.

J.M. Fields opened in Rochester in 1958, and its area stores closed in 1979. This is the Gates store on Lyell Avenue at Howard Road in September 1963.

Rolling Stones lead singer Mick Jagger and the late guitarist Brian Jones perform at the Rochester Community War Memorial on Nov. 1, 1965.

Fans try to reach through the police lines during the Rolling Stones concert at the Rochester Community War Memorial in 1965.

Despite the presence of a strong El Nino, nearly 27 inches fell over two days in January 1966, making it one of Rochester's snowiest months ever. This giant snow drift, photographed Feb. 2, was on East Avenue in Pittsford. The snow was part of the Blizzard of '66.

Christmas shoppers crowd the aisles under the clock in Sibley's on Nov. 25, 1966.

The new view of Rochester from atop Midtown Tower looking southwest at the old St. Mary's Church in the center. Tu 6/18/1962

Lauer Furniture Co., 50 State St., was moving to 3280 Monroe Ave, opposite Pittsford Plaza, back in March 1965. The Pittsford store closed in 2004.

Rochester traffic seen from the Rochester Institute roof looking east on Broad Street at 5 p.m.

Rochester City Council awaits the start of the the first meeting in 1960. From Left are Frank Lamb, Henry Gillette, Joseph Falvo and John Bittner.

Rochester Red Wings third baseman Steve Demeter swings away. Demeter played for Rochester in the mid-1960s.

A Rochester Transit Corp. bus gets a going over at the East Main Street Garage as buses are made ready to resume service after the 1961 RTS strike.

Sacred Heart Cathedral is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester and is the seat of the diocesan bishop.

A line of children head toward the entrance to Seneca Park Zoo during the summer of 1961.

Sibley's is decorated for the Christmas season in 1962.

Residents of Alliance Ave were still trying to free cars after a winter storm in the 1960s. The view looks toward Pinnacle Hill.

Thomas Burgess of Greece is congratulated by his parents after winning the Soap Box Derby in 1960 in Durand-Eastman Park.

Robert Spooner gets a kiss from his mom and sister and a hug from his dad after winning the 1961 Soap Box Derby on Lakeshore Boulevard in Durand-Eastman Park.

An aerial view of Veterans Memorial Bridge in 1965 As part of the Keeler Street Expressway project, this bridge will be widened from six to eight lanes and the traffic circle will be replaced by an interchange.

Webster Highlanders Girls Drill Team marches crisply down Webster's Main Street toward the community's first big July Fourth celebration.

Damage estimates were put at $1.5 million after a three-alarm fire destroyed the Wegmans Food Market's warehouse on Gould Street. Wegmans built their new warehouse on Brooks Avenue in Gates.

Pro Bowl, formerly at 114 Monroe Ave., was torn down for Manhattan Square Park as part of urban renewal.

Philander Street between Syracuse Street and Central Park was just on the streets lost to the Inner Loop. (Peter B. Hickey photo, 5/10/1960 RocRoots 9/21/2014

Nurses Lorraine Andres, left, and Mrs. Clyde Livermore prepare beds and equipment inside Park Avenue Hospital's new intensive care unit in 1960. It was the first Monroe County hospital to have an intensive care unit.

More than 600 teens crowd around actress Sandra Dee at McCurdy's on Friday, March 25, 1960, in Rochester. It was a much different experience than the one Dee had in Syracuse the day before, when the actress was mobbed by an estimated 6,000 teens.

The Skyliner was a popular rollercoaster added at Roseland Park in 1960. The amusement park on the shore of Canandaigua Lake lasted until 1985.

Betsy Auble, 7, and Robert Pesar, 7, receive a cross of ashes on their foreheads from Msgr. Gerald C. Lambert in St. Monica's Church on Ash Wednesday 1960.

Canandaigua Lake’s north shore is pictured in this aerial photograph taken prior to 1969. The swimming school and its access platform from the shore, a gift from Mary Clark Thompson, are visible, along with Eastern Boulevard and the newly constructed Parkway Plaza.

Sunday skating at the Rochester Community War Memorial in 1964.

Black residents and police face each other in the street during the Rochester riots in July 1964. Black families had been suffering under widespread racism in Rochester for years.

Air traffic controllers monitor to the scopes at Rochester Municipal Airport as they talk to crews aboard departing aircraft in this undated photo.

As the Rochester Red Wings arrive from Jacksonville, Florida, they are greeted by Morrie Silver (arrow), president of Rochester Community Baseball, and Manager Earl Weaver.

Which way do we go? City Traffic Engineer Eugene Simms said bids have been taken on new traffic signal trucks.

Former U.S. Vice President Richard M. Nixon delivers the commencement address at the University of Rochester on Sunday, June 5, 1966. In the background is UR President W. Allen Wallis. Two years later, Nixon was elected as the 37th U.S. president.