Overlooking the Genesee River in Rochester, New York, the rooftop deck that's part of the restoration of the Aqueduct Building seems like the perfect place to sip an ice-cold Modelo Especial beer or a High West bourbon, two alcoholic brands owned by Constellation Brands.
Constellation's new headquarters at the Aqueduct Building received an architecture award this month from the Preservation League of New York State as a result of the restoration of the 135-year-old building.
"A critical design challenge was unifying the vast and varied … footprint into a cohesive whole," the Preservation League said in presenting the Excellence in Historic Preservation recognition to the building's owners and architects.
The Aqueduct Building comprises eight separate structures, several of which are physically connected. The restoration project included a new main entrance, the addition of the rooftop deck, the installation of 800 insulated windows, new heat pumps and new electric vehicle charging stations at the parking deck.
Three local investors acquired the seven-story, red brick property in 2020 for $4.7 million from previous tenant Thomson Reuters with an eye toward a restoration project. Constellation now fully occupies the 177,500-square-foot property after vacating its former headquarters in Victor, New York, in June 2024.
The Aqueduct Building sits next to the Broad Street Bridge, an 800-foot masonry span over the Genesee River that carried the defunct Rochester subway from the 1920s to the 1950s. The building's roof includes one of its best-known features: a cast-iron statue of Mercury, the Roman god of commerce, perched atop the pinnacle.
"The riverfront campus … is at the heart of one of the major cornerstone projects of the [city of Rochester] ROC the Riverway initiative which consolidates more than two-dozen transformational projects along the Genesee River," CBRE said in its 2025 market report for Rochester.
The Aqueduct Building also includes a small outdoor plaza that's open to the public and provides views of the river and the Broad Street Bridge.
And, of course, there is the rooftop patio and bar that are open to the public and provide a panoramic view of downtown, according to the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce.
Other winners of this year's Excellence Awards from the Preservation League of New York State include projects in Brooklyn, Buffalo, Seneca Falls, Utica and Yonkers.
For the record
DJCA Cornerstone and CJS Architects were design architects. DGA Builders and Genesee Construction Service were general contractors.