Come Visit Us

Greater Rochester Association of REALTORS®, Inc.

With its August 2004 move to the Hutchison House at 930 East Avenue in Rochester, the GRAR became part of a lively city neighborhood that some call the Greenwich Village of Rochester. GRAR encourages its members and the public to visit the Hutchison House (Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) and the Park Avenue area to see all that this unique neighborhood has to offer.

Like downtown Manhattan, Park Avenue has also seen an evolution to a place that combines the best of residential and commercial urban living. Both young professionals and longer-term residents live in this area, which has some of the most sought-after homes and apartments in Rochester.

Early on, the district epitomized Rochester's Flower City reputation as it was home to nursery and seed businesses while nearby East Avenue was merely a swamp. Soon, however, East Avenue sprouted mansions and stately homes while more middle class homes were built on nearby side streets. The mix of styles in the area, from Tudor mansions and Princess Anne cottages, to interesting apartment buildings, results in a feast for the architecturally minded.

Not to be missed during a tour of this unique area are the small parks that spring up in unexpected places as well as the flower and tree-lined medians that divide some streets.

Without a doubt the retail perspective, with its unique shops and boutiques, sidewalk cafés and elegant restaurants, gives the Park Avenue neighborhood another distinctive flavor. Designer jewelry, antiques, chocolates, unique clothing and eye-wear are only some of the offerings available to Park Avenue shoppers. Fulfilling daily necessities are businesses offering banking, photo and mail services, pharmacy, day care and insurance.

From a culinary perspective, there are delis and bakeries as well as restaurants and diners offering an array of fares, from Mediterranean and Asian cuisine to sandwich, pizza and breakfast cafés to name just a few. The popularity of Park Avenue restaurants is readily apparent especially when café tables and chairs dot the sidewalk from the first breath of spring well into the fall season.

Park Avenue contributes to this area's summer schedule of events when it presents it annual Park Avenue Festival each August. An estimated 200,000 people enjoy the closed street-fair atmosphere that boasts music and other entertainers, and unique craft and food booths. The advent of colder weather brings its Holiday Open House with Santa as the special guest, ice sculptures, caroling contests and horse-drawn wagon rides.

Close by are such attractions as the Rochester Museum and Science Center, the Memorial Art Gallery, Writers & Books and the George Eastman House.

Driving Directions