Powers Hotel circa 1905

Powers Hotel circa 1905

The Powers Hotel was ornate but nowhere near to the degree of its parent structure, the Powers Building, glimpsed at right.

Powers Hotel Entrance and Carriage

Powers Hotel Entrance and Carriage

Period photo of the Powers Hotel entranceway (note the signage, "Powers Fire Proof Hotel") and the hotel's private carriage used to transport guests to rail stations and other destinations.

Powers Building and Hotel

Powers Building and Hotel

This 1904 image looking in the opposite direction shows the Powers Building in all its added-onto splendor with the Powers Hotel just behind it to the left.

Powers Hotel Structure Today

Powers Hotel Structure Today

The Powers Hotel building still stands. It was stripped of much of its ornamentation and reconfigured as a generic office structure called the Executive Building.

Executive Building

Executive Building

The Powers Hotel's original styling is almost completely submerged by a tepid mid-twentieth-century redesign.

Architectural Scars

Architectural Scars

Visible above the main entrance are scars where carved stonework was removed—compare to the first photo on this page.

Powers Building Circa 1871

Powers Building Circa 1871

This photograph of the neighboring Powers Building dates to about 1871. The structure comprises the corner section with its bold cut-stone detailing, with wings of slightly plainer design extending down Main Street (to left) and State Street (to right). Note that there is no tower yet. In addition there is only one level of Mansard roof, and it caps the more-ornate corner section of the building only. (The hotel was yet unbuilt when this photo was taken.)

Powers Building in 1968

Powers Building in 1968

This 1968 photo from a somewhat similar perspective shows the multiple additions David Powers made after 1871 to retain the title of "Rochester's Tallest" for his building. Note that the Mansard roof had been extended all the way down the Main Street and State Street wings. Next came the tower, to which two additional levels were added over a span of just four years. Then, a second "wedding cake" floor was added to the Mansard roof. Finally, a third floor of Mansard roof stretched the design vocabulary to its limits. The Powers Building is no longer Rochester's tallest building. But for much of the late nineteenth century its owner would go to any length—or height—to retain that honor. The hotel building is visible immediately to the left of the Powers Building proper.

Powers Building Today

Powers Building Today

This photo shows the Powers Building today from a roughly similar perspective. This image looks down Exchange Street toward Main Street. (Exchange Street becomes State Street as it crosses Main.)

This higher-resolution image merits clicking on; feast your eyes on the rococo layering of the three Mansard roofs and the three successive levels of the tower. Few major buildings reflect their builders' obsessions in so graphic a manner.

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