06/26/2025
Our public art installation, Late Capital Pods by Jonathan Monaghan, is a series of large scale images that reimagine Rochester’s Gilded Age architecture as opulent, spacecraft-like forms.
The first image in the series draws inspiration and architectural fragments from the Powers Building, and bejewels it with elements of contemporary tech & surveillance – the gold security camera at the top right; USB and Ethernet ports 🙌 ; AirPods 🎧
The Powers Building - located at the Four Corners on State Street and Main Street and originally completed in 1869 - was designed by Rochester architect Andrew Jackson Warner for banker Daniel Powers. Warner designed the building in the Second Empire Style, elements of which are replicated in Monaghan’s Fabergé egg-styled ornament.
Windows with ornamental moulding from the building’s three Mansard roofs can be seen at the top (image 3), and at the bottom in the purple feature (image 5). The sides resemble the four floors of the building above street level (images 6 & 7).
🖼️ Did you know two art galleries also existed on the top floor of the building? Daniel Powers opened a gallery to show his collection of European works – charging a quarter to visit – which operated from the 1870s to 1890s. In 1985, Tom Termotto leased the same floor, put up work by renowned local artists, and had a successful gallery opening to the tune of thousands of visitors. However, within a week, the gallery closed after Termotto fled to Europe, having swindled $500,000 from supporters and investors! 🤦♀️
Late Capital Pods is on view 24/7 outside of RoCo. Visit our website to learn more, and stay tuned for posts about the other two works in this series.
Sources in the comments ⬇️
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