Interesting Facts

Assisi Heights

Although Assisi Heights seems to be ageless, it is actually only about 50 years old. The Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi, who celebrated their 126th anniversary here this year,

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Plummer House

Dr. Henry and Mrs. Plummer's home was built on 60 acres of land purchased in 1916. The house was completed eight years later in 1924.

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The Corn Cob Water Tower

The water tower serves the Seneca Foods canning factory and has a presence in Rochester right up there with the geese. The ear of corn is 151 feet tall and has stood over the cannery since 1931.Reid-Murdoch Co. of Chicago - Monarch Foods

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Outside Barnes & Noble in the Peace Plaza

Chateau Theatre

The Chateau Theatre was built in 1928 at a cost of more than $200,000 and was in its hey day a unique movie house. It is now a Barnes and Noble bookstore.

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St. Mary's Hospital

The hospital was located at the west end of Zumbro Street (Second Street SW). It officially opened Oct. 1, 1889, with 45 beds.

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IBM and Housing Boom

When IBM announced their new plant was to be built in Rochester in 1956, home building nearly doubled, from 261 permits in '56 to 501 in '57. This record would not be broken until 1989.

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Background of Mayo Clinic

When a tornado swept through the fledgeling frontier town of Rochester in 1883, it destroyed houses and killed 24 people. Dr. William Worrall Mayo and his sons were

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