Rochester was once one of America's great industrial cities — the birthplace of Eastman Kodak, the flour milling capital of the continent before Minneapolis, and home to the only underground subway system in New York State outside of New York City. The collapse of the Kodak empire in the 2000s left behind an extraordinary industrial landscape: abandoned manufacturing buildings, empty office complexes, and two miles of graffiti-covered subway tunnel running beneath downtown. Here are 5 of the best abandoned places in Rochester, selected from our Abandoned Places Map USA — 5,000+ GPS locations across the United States.
Why Rochester Is a Hidden Gem for Abandoned Buildings & Urban Exploration
Rochester's urbex landscape is shaped by two industrial collapses — the 19th-century flour milling industry and the 20th-century Kodak empire. Both left behind extraordinary built infrastructure: canal-era tunnels converted to subway use, massive film manufacturing complexes, and a network of industrial buildings along the Genesee River that represents one of the most concentrated post-industrial urbex environments in Upstate New York.
1. Rochester Abandoned Subway Tunnels – 1927-1956, Two Miles of Graffiti-Covered Erie Canal Infrastructure Under Broad Street (Known Location)
Built in 1927 along the bed of the abandoned Erie Canal — rerouted around Rochester in 1918 — the Rochester Industrial and Rapid Transit Railway was the only underground subway system in New York State outside of New York City. It ran for just 29 years before ridership collapsed as car ownership exploded; the last train ran in 1956. The two-mile downtown tunnel section under Broad Street has stood abandoned ever since, its walls evolving over decades into one of the most remarkable underground graffiti canvases in America — layers upon layers of murals, tags, and full compositions created by generations of urbex artists. The tunnel is accessible through several street-level entry points near the Broad Street Bridge, making it one of the most documented and most-visited abandoned subway systems in the country.
🔗 Learn more: Untapped Cities – Abandoned Rochester Subway
2. Kodak Park Abandoned Manufacturing Buildings – Eastman Kodak's Empire in Decay, Film Production Halls Empty Since the 2000s (Known Location)
At its peak, Kodak Park was one of the largest manufacturing complexes in the world — a 1,200-acre campus of film coating buildings, chemical processing plants, research laboratories, and power infrastructure that employed 60,000 people in Rochester alone. Kodak's bankruptcy filing in 2012 accelerated what had been building for a decade: entire wings of the massive complex were shut down, manufacturing halls left exactly as they were on their last production day, and the sprawling grounds abandoned to security patrols and slow decay. Some buildings from the 2000s and 2010s shutdowns still hold equipment on the production floors — coating machines, chemical mixing systems, and the distinctive film-processing architecture of the mid-20th century. One of the defining urbex sites of America's post-industrial landscape.
🔗 Also read: Top 5 Best Abandoned Places in the USA →
3. Abandoned Elmwood Avenue Psychiatric Hospital – 17-Story Brick Tower Empty for Decades, North Rochester (Exclusively on Our Map)
A 17-story psychiatric hospital tower on Elmwood Avenue — the tallest abandoned institutional building in Rochester, with ward corridors still lined with original metal-frame doors, nurse call systems frozen in place, and the elevated views of Rochester from the upper floors that no longer-active building in the area can match. Rochester's institutional mental health landscape contracted sharply as deinstitutionalization accelerated in the 1980s and 1990s; this tower is the most dramatic surviving example of that era. One of the best abandoned places in Rochester for institutional photography with genuine height. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map USA.
4. Abandoned Genesee Valley Industrial Complex – 1900s Brick Warehouse District with Original Loading Infrastructure, West Side Rochester (Exclusively on Our Map)
A cluster of early 1900s brick warehouses along the Genesee River corridor — cast iron loading dock hardware still in place, original wooden freight elevator mechanisms visible inside, and the river-facing facades with their industrial lettering faded to ghost text on the brick. Rochester's west side industrial corridor developed rapidly in the early 20th century to support the flour milling and then the Kodak ecosystem; this complex was bypassed by redevelopment and left in industrial amber. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map USA.
5. Abandoned Rochester Bowling Alley – Mid-Century Recreational Complex with Original Lanes and Scoring Systems Still in Place (Exclusively on Our Map)
A mid-century bowling alley closed when the format became economically unviable — the original hardwood lanes still intact under decades of dust, pin-setting machine housings still in position above the lane ends, and the vintage scoring board systems still mounted at every lane position. Rochester's mid-century recreational infrastructure served the enormous Kodak workforce during the company's peak decades; when Kodak declined, the businesses that depended on worker leisure spending followed. This complex is one of the most completely intact mid-century bowling facilities remaining in Western New York. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map USA.
Safety Tips for Urban Exploration in Rochester
- Subway tunnels: the Rochester subway contains unstable sections and poor lighting — always bring multiple light sources and never explore the deeper tunnel sections alone
- Upstate New York winters: freeze-thaw cycles are extreme — avoid upper floors in brick buildings after winter or heavy rain
- Never explore alone — always bring at least one other person and let someone know your location
The urbex code applies everywhere: "Take nothing but photographs, leave nothing but footprints."
❓ FAQ – Abandoned Places in Rochester
What is the most famous abandoned place in Rochester?
The Rochester Abandoned Subway — two miles of Erie Canal-era tunnel under Broad Street, built in 1927 and closed in 1956 after just 29 years of operation. The tunnel walls have become one of the most extraordinary underground graffiti canvases in America over the seven decades since closure.
What happened to Kodak Park in Rochester?
Eastman Kodak's 1,200-acre manufacturing campus once employed 60,000 people in Rochester alone. As digital photography destroyed the film market, Kodak shed buildings and workers through the 2000s before filing for bankruptcy in 2012. Significant portions of the complex remain abandoned, with manufacturing halls from the 2000s shutdowns still holding equipment on the production floors.
Why does Rochester have an abandoned subway?
The Rochester subway was built in 1927 along the former Erie Canal bed — rerouted around the city in 1918 — as a rapid transit solution for the growing industrial city. By the 1950s car ownership had exploded and ridership had collapsed; the system closed in 1956 after only 29 years. The tunnel beneath Broad Street was never demolished or filled, leaving it intact for urban explorers.
🎯 Summary
Rochester's abandoned buildings tell the story of America's greatest corporate collapse — Eastman Kodak's fall from the world's dominant photography company to bankruptcy left behind 1,200 acres of industrial ruins, a city-wide economic depression, and some of the most evocative post-industrial urbex environments in the Northeast. Each of these 5 abandoned places in Rochester captures a different dimension of what happens when an entire city is built around one company and that company disappears.
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