What makes a neighborhood a good neighborhood? Convenience and walkability factor in. Safety is essential. Beautiful architecture helps, as does a diverse population that enriches everyone and a sense of community.A really great neighborhood might also have a unique vibe and offer singular retail and dining experiences. Rochester’s South Wedge has all these things, along with a rich history. For those who appreciate an especially vibrant neighborhood scene, the South Wedge is steeped in the creativity of those who live and work there.
Top photo by Robin Muto; bottom photo by Kristen Spychalski; graphics by Cathy Monrad
The neighborhood—a wedge shape, of course—is bordered by the Genesee River, Mount Hope Avenue, and South Avenue. If you haven’t been there or it’s been a while, you might be surprised by the richness of what the area has to offer. Walk around the neighborhood and you’ll discover some truly distinctive spots you won’t find anywhere else … friendly bars with live music, pubs, theaters, coffee shops, restaurants, and studios to practice yoga or learn to contra or swing dance. Women of Color International makes its home on South Ave; Hipocampo Children’s Books offers story time events in English and Spanish; Happy Earth Tea sells eighty looseleaf tea varieties from around the world. Cheesy Eddie’s has been making its unmissable cheesecake for fifty years.
The neighborhood is fertile ground for new ideas, and it’s a sought-after place for residents and businesses alike. Interior designer Robin Muto grew up in Brooklyn and moved to the South
Wedge with her husband, artist Rick Muto, when they were in their twenties. They now operate Axom Home on South Avenue. The couple loves the neighborhood, and some aspects of it remind Robin of living in New York City. Some of their neighbors walk to the neighborhood grocery store, Abundance Food Co-op, with backpacks, she explains. “I mean, like, how New York City is that?”
Rick Muto feels that he and Robin and their two kids have all benefited from living in the South Wedge and its lively mix of people. He says that the historical development of the neighborhood can be seen in the architecture. “We had Ellwanger-Barry Nurseries, and they built homes for their workers, from field workers to office people or administrators. So, you have a diversity of architecture that’s very interesting. The early days of the neighborhood, back in the 1820s, brought in a very interesting mix of people, and that kind of held out, as a matter of fact.”
But by the late 1960s, the neighborhood was run down, and there were many vacant houses. The South Wedge Planning Committee was formed to revitalize the neighborhood in the 1970s. A group of dedicated and hardworking people saw the potential, and the renovation of homes and retail spaces began. There was “a cadre of people” who led the way, says Pat Tobin, who has been an involved resident in the neighborhood since the 1980s. “Ron Maier, Pete Monacelli, Bill Coppard, Bill Farmer. I think, I feel, that is kind of the team.” This group, a combination of businessmen who worked in construction, contracting, and real estate, brought the energy and the ability to fix up the neighborhood, resulting in a dramatic change for the better. “I could always spot a Bill Coppard house, because he had a really great sense of color,” Robin Muto
remembers. The group remodeled homes and commercial buildings in the neighborhood, including some that were in very rough shape. Then, the South Wedge Planning Committee was formed, “building on the foundation that was started in the seventies,” says Tobin. The committee ensured that the development of the neighborhood was intentional. Tobin himself brought his knowledge of finance to the table—he was the regional president of a bank as well as a developer.
A vibrant and dynamic community was nurtured along the way, and people from many walks of life, backgrounds, and religions came together to support each other and each other’s businesses. This intentional and rich cultural atmosphere created the perfect incubator for growing unique businesses. Robin Muto says she was amazed at how all the business owners support each other, and every year, festivals in and around the neighborhood bring in business.
As the neighborhood grew and changed over the years, Tobin and other residents have been concerned about overgentrification. But that has not yet happened; although it is a “hot” neighborhood, it has retained its character and has remained racially and socioeconomically diverse.
The Wedge feels like “just a safe environment that’s almost magical to me,” says Tobin. “Every time I drive into the Wedge, I feel like my shoulders go down. There is a thing about the Wedge
that just is powerful,” he says. He’s talked to many other residents who agree. “It feels we’re like-minded, you’re walking amongst your own, you feel safe.” It does help, though, if you like dogs. On a walk around the neighborhood, “you might run into twenty-five dogs on the way.” Tobin is now retired and does a lot of walking in the neighborhood. “I can do everything I need in this community.” And the business owners support each other and collaborate. “Everybody just hums together,” he says. “I don’t care if they’re Black, white, Asian, whatever, even religion-wise, people just live together, just coincide.” And, he says, they get outside and mingle.
Many of the homes have porches, and that fosters friendliness and connection. “Our street has really benefited by [being] a porch community,” he says. “It’s like, if you want good suburbs, you have to have a good city. And if you want a good neighborhood, you have to have a good main street.”
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