Nestled at 75 Woodbury Boulevard in the heart of Rochester, the dynamic Geva Theatre Center radiates artistic enthusiasm today. Originally designed by Andrew J. Warner in 1868, this building began its life as a home for the 54th Regiment of the New York State Militia. The walls have echoed with the footsteps of soldiers, soldiers who, over time, gave way to artists and luminaries. The building's transformation in 1907 saw it evolve into the Convention Hall, a stage graced by the footsteps of greats such as William Jennings Bryan, Theodore Roosevelt, and Anna Pavlova.
The stage resonated with the sounds of William Howard Taft, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Enrico Caruso, Fritz Kreisler, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Gustav Mahler, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Arturo Toscanini, and many others. During challenging times like the 1918 flu epidemic, the building served as a hospital, only to become a tonsil clinic in 1930. Fast forward to 1949 and it welcomed the Naval Reserve Center. By 1975, various City of Rochester departments found their offices within its walls.
In a heartwarming and inspiring turn of events, the Geva Theatre Center, previously located at 168 South Clinton Avenue, triumphantly purchased the former armory and convention hall at 75 Woodbury Boulevard in 1982. Today, it stands proudly, bathed in the glow of the National Register of Historic Places, its stage illuminated by the brilliant performances of Samuel L. Jackson, Scott Bakula, Georgia Engel, Kathy Bates, Josh Brolin, Robert Downey Jr, Carla Gugino, Bill Pullman, Anna Deavere Smith, Robert Vaughn, and Anthony Zerbe.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
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