First Federal Plaza

First Federal Plaza
Map
General information
StatusCompleted
TypeOffice
Revolving restaurant (before 1990)
Location28 E. Main St.
Rochester, NY
Coordinates43°09′23″N 77°36′42″W / 43.1565°N 77.6116°W / 43.1565; -77.6116
Construction startedApril 1974
Completed1976
OpeningJune 1976
Technical details
Floor count21
Floor area268,000 sq ft (24,900 m2)
Lifts/elevators11
Design and construction
Architect(s)Corgan, Balestiere and Leaper

First Federal Plaza is a high-rise building located in Rochester, New York. It is the fifth tallest building in Rochester, standing at 309 feet (94 meters) with 21 floors. It was completed in 1976.[1]

Closeup of the former rotating restaurant on top of the First Federal building

The building is known for its circular top, which used to be a 7,000-square-foot (650 m2) revolving restaurant called Changing Scene. That closed in 1990 and the rotating mechanism was dismantled. The space was rented out by local Rochester attorney Christina Agola until she was disbarred over allegations of deceitful conduct.[2][3]

The building is located at 28 East Main Street [4]

The building is also home to the studios for the Stephens Media Group radio stations in Rochester. (WFKL, WZNE, and WRMM-FM). In addition to the studios, WZNE and WRMM-FM both maintain an auxiliary (backup) transmitter facility on the top of the building.[5][6]

The building has been used as part of 21 Stories for Scouts, an annual fundraiser for the Boy Scouts of America.[7]

  1. ^ First Federal Plaza [1][usurped] emporis.com
  2. ^ New tenants love famous rotating restaurant space [2] WHEC-TV.com
  3. ^ "Agola disbarred over allegations of deceitful conduct". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
  4. ^ First Federal Plaza Building [3] MerchantCircle.com
  5. ^ Staff, FCC Internet Services. "Application Search Details". licensing.fcc.gov.
  6. ^ Staff, FCC Internet Services. "Application Search Details". licensing.fcc.gov.
  7. ^ "89-year-old grandpa rappels 21-story skyscraper". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2016-05-25.