Neighborhood of The Arts - Rochester, NY

Overview

The Neighborhood of the Arts is Rochester’s arts district, home to the Memorial Art Gallery and numerous other arts establishments. This area of southeast Rochester includes ARTWalk, an outdoor museum of sorts with sculptures and other types of art on wide, tree-lined sidewalks. ARTWalk started in 2000 and is continuing to grow, and spurred a rebirth and renaissance in the neighborhood. Village Gate Square, an old factory complex that was converted to a pseudo urban mall, features a variety of eateries and shops as well as events such as corporate functions and weddings.




Who Lives Here

As its name would imply, this area has a concentration of artist-type residents.




Essentials

NOTA has many restaurants and coffee spots like Starry Nites Cafe in Village Gate, along with an eclectic mix of shops. You’ll find salons and spas, a yoga studio, a tattoo shop, banks and a bookstore, as well as the popular Fabrics & Findings shop in the Anderson Arts Building. Craft Company No. 6 is a gift and housewares store located in a former firehouse. The area has a new and upgraded Wegmans on East Avenue, near the intersection of University Avenue.




Recreation & Entertainment

This neighborhood offers all kinds of entertainment options, from art galleries to movies at the Eastman House’s Dryden Theater to performances at the School of the Arts, a high school on Prince Street for students in the performing arts. Writers and Books is the city’s literary center; other popular attractions are the Visual Studies Workshop, the Baobab Cultural Center and the Image City Photography Center at Imagine Square. The Clothesline Festival, Rochester’s oldest arts and crafts fair, is held annually at the Memorial Art Gallery. The ARTWalk Alive Street festival is held along University Avenue in September.




Transportation & Traffic

This neighborhood is easy to stroll and not heavily congested with traffic, except perhaps during the Clothesline Festival. ARTWalk is designed to be for pedestrians. University Avenue has undergone major reconstruction recently but traffic has improved as the work has progressed. Culver Road traffic can be intense, particularly during the morning and evening work commutes.




Pros & Cons

NOTA is an independent, close-knit community. The area, which used to be known as Atlantic-University, has dramatically improved in recent years as buildings have been renovated and redesigned and as ARTWalk has expanded.



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