MISSION

Rochester Main Street is a non-profit volunteer organization devoted to the preservation, growth and vitality of downtown Rochester.

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VISION 

Rochester Main Street is devoted to restoring, preserving, enhancing and promoting the beauty, vitality and historic heritage of downtown Rochester. We will continue to actively engage local businesses, organizations, property owners, residents and local governmental agencies to work together in making the downtown a safe, vibrant and exciting place to work, shop, live and play, not just for today but for generations to come.

The volunteers of Rochester Main Street value the downtown as the "heart" of our community. We envision the downtown being known as a friendly, progressive and inviting place - a place where people work together to promote development that respects the environment and allows Rochester to maintain its small city charm. Our historic downtown buildings, once fully preserved, will become home to a healthy blend of commercial, residential and civic uses while showcasing the city's architectural heritage.

We will continue to develop a strong and vibrant arts, dining, shopping and entertainment district that will attract residents and visitors alike.

We believe our shared enthusiasm and "can do" attitude will continue to provide inspiration and motivation for volunteers from all sectors of the community to partner and join with us in the revitalization of downtown Rochester.

Creating the Vision...Working Together... Making it Happen!

OUR DISTRICT 

ABOUT ROCHESTER

Rochester is a city in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 29,752.  The city includes the villages of East Rochester and Gonic. Rochester is home to Skyhaven Airport and the annual Rochester Fair.

The town was one of four granted by Colonial Governor Samuel Shute of Massachusetts and New Hampshire during his brief term. Incorporated in 1722, it was named for his close friend, Laurence Hyde, Earl of Rochester and brother-in-law to King James II. As was customary, tall white pine trees were reserved for use as masts by the Royal Navy. But hostility with the Abenaki delayed settlement until 1728, although attacks would continue until 1748. Early dwellings clustered together for protection, beginning near Haven Hill. Due to warfare or disease, after 1749 Native American numbers dwindled, although many descendants remain in or around Rochester communities. The community at that time included Farmington, which would be incorporated in 1798, and Milton, in 1802.

LAND MARKS IN OUR DOWNTOWN

Rochester Common
In 1737, the Reverend Amos Main became the first settled pastor of the Congregational Church, located on Rochester Hill. The building would be moved to Rochester Common, which then encompassed 250 acres (1.0 km2) and was called Norway Plain Mille Common after its abundant Norway pines. At the time, the Common extended into what is now downtown Rochester. By 1738, the farming community contained 60 families. A statue of Parson Main, sculpted by Giuseppe Moretti, today presides over the town square.

By 1780 the area surrounding the Common was the most thickly settled part of town, so a meeting house/church was erected on the east end of the Common with the entrance facing what is now South Main Street. A cemetery was also established near the new meeting house, but the ground was found to be too wet, and the bodies were removed to the Old Rochester Cemetery. In 1842 the Meeting House/church was moved to the present-day location at the corner of Liberty and South Main streets. As the years went by the size of 

the Common would shrink as more of it was sold off for development. A bandstand was constructed in 1914. Today, the Common is used for community activities such as Memorial Day events and for concerts throughout the summer months, in addition to having a walking track.
During the Revolutionary War the Common was used as the meeting place for soldiers before going off to war. The common is also the location of the city's Civil War monument which bears the names of the 54 men who died then. The monument was dedicated in the 1870s, and in the 1880s the statue was added to the monument. Four Civil War cannons also decorated the monument, but during World War II the cannon were melted down for use in the war. They were replaced by World War II guns.

The bandstand, the landmark we get our logo from,  was built in 1914 by Miles Dustin; before then band concerts were held on the square. The flag pole was donated by J. Frank Place in 1917. He was the former publisher of the Rochester Courier.

Rochester Opera House
Another notable structure is the 1908 Rochester City Hall and Opera House by George Gilman Adams. Adams designed other city hall/opera house dual-purpose buildings around New England, including for Bellows Falls, Vermont (1887); Amesbury, Massachusetts(1887); Dover, New Hampshire (1891); and Derry, New Hampshire (1901). Only four of his city hall/opera houses survive today (inWaterville, Montpelier, Derry, and Rochester), as many of his buildings were destroyed by fire.

George Adams' opera houses were unique because of their floors, which were movable and could function in an inclined position or level position. With the floor in the inclined position, the opera house would show plays, concerts, etc. When the floor was level, the building could be used for dances or public meetings. The Rochester Opera House opened on Memorial Day in 1908. Almost all of Adams' buildings contained the movable floor, though the buildings in Waterville and Montpelier did not. Because of the destruction of the other opera houses the Rochester Opera House is the only known theater in the United States to use this type of movable floor.

The Rochester City Hall contained the Rochester Police Department in its basement offices for many years. Some historical portraits of officers remain in an upstairs chamber where a collection of portraits of city officials was traditionally preserved, including officers Nelson S. Hatch and Red Hayes.

Today, visitors may still attend shows at the Rochester Opera House. The City of Rochester has preserved the 90 year historical decor of the Opera House.

Floor Lowered for dinner seating or dance floor

Floor Raised for Concert Seating

The Rochester Public Library
 The library was approved in 1893 but was not open to the public until early 1894. Back then the library was located on the corner of Portland Street and South Main Street. In 1897 it moved to City Hall where it remained for over 8 years.[6]

In the early 1900s, Rochester Postmaster Osman Warren contacted Andrew Carnegie to secure his help in providing financial help in building a new library. The Carnegie Institute responded with a check for $20,000. The brand new library was built on the site of what was the Main Street School. The library was built in the new Georgian revival style using brick and granite, and the inside was finished with golden oak and cypress. The library opened on October 2, 1905, and 150 people registered the first day. Miss Lillian Parshley was the first librarian, serving until her death in 1945. Velma Foss, Miss Parshley's assistant, was the second librarian of the Rochester Library

The Old Stone Bridge
This 1880s brick and stone arch bridge is the centerpiece of the city's historic district. In 2011 Wyman & Simpson was completed the reconstruction in coordination with the City of Rochester, New Hampshire Department of Transportation and New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources to preserve this historic structure and included extensive rehabilitation of the three-span stone arch bridge and placement of concrete sidewalks, aluminum bridge rail, masonry rehabilitation, sheet pile cofferdams, roadway drainage, excavation, gravel, paving and fiber optic utility coordination.