Rochester’s Ear of Corn Tower gets historical landmark preservation, leaving townsfolks excited
(ABC 6 News) – One of Rochester’s famous landmarks will be sticking around for the long run.
The Corn Tower received it’s historic landmark preservation in a unanimous vote from the city council, and that has many excited for what it’ll mean for sightseeing in the Med City.
The Corn Tower has been part of the Rochester skyline since 1931, and now, it’s here to stay. For those coming to town for a visit to Mayo Clinic, the Corn Tower tends to pique their interest.
“Second, third down the list, all of a sudden they’re asking about this quirky Corn Tower that we have. I just say it’s quirky, it’s authentic and it’s uniquely Rochester,” said Joe Ward, president of Experience Rochester.
But the landmark has also been a longtime fixture for those who have lived here for decades and seen the changes.
“I remember the Corn Tower as the place how you’d find the hockey rinks back in our high school and college days, you’d look for the Corn Tower to find it there,” said Rochester City Council Member Patrick Keane.
Keane took part in the city council’s unanimous vote for the Corn Tower’s historic preservation.
He said when the former Seneca foods left Rochester, some people were more worried about the Corn Tower than the company itself.
“. . . [A]t Christmas that time I bought some of those Corn Tower t-shirts and given them to the kids as presents so they remember now that they’re not living in Rochester and how quickly they identified with it as that’s something they thought as uniquely Rochester.”
When Ward arrived in town for the first time going to interview for the job he has now, the Corn Tower caught his eye immediately.
“It made an impression on me personally and it’s just been a fun way to do a twist on Rochester. When you have something like a water tower that looks like an ear of corn, it stands out,” he said.
With this historic landmark designation Ward and Keane are hopeful that future visitors and residents of Rochester will keep it’s incorporation as a landmark of historic significance an integral part of Rochester’s landscape.