Global Company to Move into Repurposed Historic Aqueduct Building Alongthe Genesee River
$82 Million Investment Further Supports Efforts to Revitalize Rochester's Urban Center Through Investments in the ROC the Riverway Initiative and in the Downtown Innovation Zone
Project also Supported with "Finger Lakes Forward" Grant to Begin Construction on Aqueduct Reimagined Project
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that Constellation Brands, a leading beverage alcohol company, will relocate its headquarters, currently based in Victor, Ontario County to the historic Aqueduct Building located along the Genesee River in downtown Rochester. The Fortune 500® company will invest approximately $50 million to renovate five buildings on the Aqueduct campus located between East Main and Broad streets, across from Blue Cross Arena at the Community War Memorial. Purchased in March of 2020, the property developers plan to invest an additional $30 million at the 170,000 square-foot riverfront campus. The transformative project will also involve the construction of a 120-space parking structure, and qualified historic restoration of the Aqueduct buildings' windows and other architectural features. Constellation Brands expects to create more than 80 new local jobs as part of the project in addition to the more than 340 jobs that will move to the Aqueduct location, while roughly 200 employees will continue to be based out of the Canandaigua office. The company expects to be operational at the historic waterfront facility In the Spring of 2024.
"Constellation Brands' exciting decision to expand its regional operations and establish its new headquarters in downtown Rochester will help to further advance our efforts to create new, good-paying jobs and a thriving city center," Governor Kathy Hochul said. "Downtown Rochester's Innovation Zone is already home to some of the most talent-rich companies in the world. This transformative project at the historic Aqueduct Building will also help to maximize our $50 million ROC The Riverway efforts, which are reimagining and transforming the waterfront along the beautiful Genesee River, helping Rochester to thrive for generations to come."