A massive fire destroyed the old Tent City building complex overnight.
Crews were working this morning to tear down the historic structure at Lyell and Dewey avenues. All of the six interconnected buildings are compromised, according to the city, and will be fully demolished.
The Rochester Fire Department was dispatched to the building at 10:30 p.m. Thursday and the fire was declared under control at 1:44 a.m. Friday. The five-alarm blaze required several hours of intense firefighting, according to the department. It drew a response from 15 city Fire Department companies comprising 60 firefighters, as well as mutual aid from departments across the county.
As crews worked, two exterior brick walls partially collapsed, though nobody was injured.
Two neighboring homes suffered exterior damage from the heat, but nobody was inside them at the time, according to the fire department. The Red Cross assisted one resident whose home was affected.
The blaze comes just over a month after Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that New York State would allocate $46 million in tax credits and other assistance to help redevelop the five-story building into an 88-unit supportive housing project for formerly homeless veterans and their families. The city and county also had pledged financial support.
Plans for the building, to be renamed Gardner's Lofts, also included office space for on-site services. Winn Development was slated to carry out the project, with a total investment projected at nearly $72 million.
The building has been vacant for 25 years, according to the city. Winn and partners bought the property for $1.2 million on July 1, records show.
Lyell Avenue is closed between Broad Street/Dewey Avenue and Oak Street, according to the state Department of Transportation. The area is expected to remain closed through the early afternoon, officials said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
