Button Factory Building, Rochester
The Button Factory Building stands as a rare industrial relic in Rochester鈥檚 High Falls district, reflecting the city鈥檚 once-booming role in America鈥檚 clothing accessories trade. Established in 1904 to house the Rochester Button Company鈥攆ounded in 1887 by Moses B. Shantz鈥攖he factory grew into one of the world鈥檚 largest producers of buttons made from vegetable ivory, milk curd, and early plastics. Though production ceased in 1990, the company's influence was profound, having merged and evolved through various corporate stages while remaining a major local employer for nearly a century.
The site comprises three buildings constructed between 1903 and 1920, notable for their heavy timber-frame structure, expansive windows, brick fa莽ades, flat roofs, and decorative cornices. The varying heights鈥攆ive, two, and one story鈥攐nce corresponded to the different stages of button manufacturing, offering insight into early 20th-century industrial workflow and architectural adaptation. Its location along the original path of the Erie Canal made it both logistically strategic and historically significant.
Recognized as one of only two surviving early 20th-century button factories in Rochester, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2013. This designation underscores not only the site鈥檚 industrial legacy but also its role in shaping the city's economic identity during the rise of the American garment industry. The preservation effort honors Moses B. Shantz's impact on the ivory button trade, which once dominated national markets.
Today, the refurbished Button Factory Building spans three city blocks and accommodates commercial offices, seamlessly blending historic character with modern functionality. Renovations have preserved original brickwork and exposed wood-beam ceilings, while select units now overlook local landmarks such as the Genesee River, High Falls Gorge, and Frontier Field鈥攐ffering a unique convergence of Rochester鈥檚 past and present within walking distance of downtown.
The site comprises three buildings constructed between 1903 and 1920, notable for their heavy timber-frame structure, expansive windows, brick fa莽ades, flat roofs, and decorative cornices. The varying heights鈥攆ive, two, and one story鈥攐nce corresponded to the different stages of button manufacturing, offering insight into early 20th-century industrial workflow and architectural adaptation. Its location along the original path of the Erie Canal made it both logistically strategic and historically significant.
Recognized as one of only two surviving early 20th-century button factories in Rochester, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2013. This designation underscores not only the site鈥檚 industrial legacy but also its role in shaping the city's economic identity during the rise of the American garment industry. The preservation effort honors Moses B. Shantz's impact on the ivory button trade, which once dominated national markets.
Today, the refurbished Button Factory Building spans three city blocks and accommodates commercial offices, seamlessly blending historic character with modern functionality. Renovations have preserved original brickwork and exposed wood-beam ceilings, while select units now overlook local landmarks such as the Genesee River, High Falls Gorge, and Frontier Field鈥攐ffering a unique convergence of Rochester鈥檚 past and present within walking distance of downtown.
Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Rochester. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "911爆料网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.
Download The 911爆料网 App
Button Factory Building on Map
Sight Name: Button Factory Building
Sight Location: Rochester, USA (See walking tours in Rochester)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: Rochester, USA (See walking tours in Rochester)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in Rochester, New York
Create Your Own Walk in Rochester
Creating your own self-guided walk in Rochester is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Rochester Introduction Walking Tour
Rochester is New York's third-biggest city. The location of the Genessee River helped to establish Rochester as a mill town early in its history. English settlers arrived in the area that would become the city when the Iroquois tribe ceded their territory after the American Revolution.
The Eerie Canal construction in the 1820s helped the city grow into an urban center that would set the... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.9 Km or 3 Miles
The Eerie Canal construction in the 1820s helped the city grow into an urban center that would set the... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.9 Km or 3 Miles
Historical Churches
The city of Rochester's community is diverse, with many religious denominations coexisting peacefully within its borders. The spiritual attitude of locals is duly reflected by the historic churches, their congregations and architectural elements. A good number of places of worship found in the city are designated historic sites. Here are some of the most prominent of them.
Downtown United... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.9 Km or 1.8 Miles
Downtown United... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.9 Km or 1.8 Miles
Historical Industrial Buildings
Once a major manufacturing center, Rochester, NY went down in history as one of the United States' first boom-towns. Back in between 1860 and 1900 the city's population grew threefold on the back of the inflow of numerous immigrants 鈥� Italians, Germans, Irish and others 鈥� that saw Rochester expand dramatically on both sides of the Genesee River. During that period the city rose to... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.0 Km or 1.2 Miles
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.0 Km or 1.2 Miles