First Federal Plaza

First Federal Plaza is a high-rise building located at 26-28 East Main Street in Rochester, New York, on the west bank of the Genesee River.^[2] It is the fifth tallest building in Rochester, standing at 309 feet (94 meters) with 21 floors. It was completed in 1976.^[3]

Closeup of the former rotating restaurant on top of the First Federal building

First Federal Plaza
General information
Status	Completed
Type	Office Revolving restaurant (before 1988)
Location	26-28 E. Main St. Rochester, NY
Coordinates	43.1565°N 77.6116°W / 43.1565; -77.6116
Construction started	April 1974
Completed	1976
Opening	June 1976
Technical details
Floor count	21
Floor area	383,000 sq ft (35,600 m2)[1]
Lifts/elevators	11
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Corgan, Balestiere and Leaper

The building is known for its circular top, which used to be a 7,000-square-foot (650 m²) revolving restaurant called Changing Scene. The ledges and center of the 21st floor were stationary, while a 10 feet (3.0 m)-wide section of the floor rotated, offering a changing view of the city landscape. The restaurant operated from 1977 to 1988, after which the rotating mechanism was dismantled and the area was converted to office space.^[4] The floor was later rented out by local Rochester attorney Christina Agola^[4] and Panasonic.^[5] In 2017, the band Joywave held a launch party for their album Content in the former restaurant space.^[6]

The building is also home to the studios for the Stephens Media Group radio stations in Rochester. (WFKL, WZNE, and WRMM-FM). In addition to the studios, WZNE and WRMM-FM both maintain an auxiliary (backup) transmitter facility on the top of the building.^[7][8]

The building has been used as part of 21 Stories for Scouts, an annual fundraiser for the Boy Scouts of America.^[9]

Reynolds II LP purchased the building for US$6,100,000 in 1998. In 2024, it was listed for sale again, with an asking price of US$10,100,000.^[2]

See also

• List of tallest buildings in Rochester, New York