City: Loose materials at Cadillac, Richford buildings should be fixed by the weekend

ROCHESTER, NY – Loose materials on the exteriors of the former Richford Hotel and Cadillac Hotel that posed a safety hazard should be repaired by this weekend.

“The condition of 45 Chestnut in particular, we had some failure of the soffits around the building,” City Corporation Attorney Patrick Beath said Wednesday in the former Richford Hotel.

Beath said the city closed Elm Street near Chestnut Street on Tuesday because of the robbers found outside the building. The soffit is the material that covers the lower part of the roof.

“The owners have been ordered to remove the sofas and they are working to get permission to do the work right now. We expect the work to be done tomorrow,” Beath said Wednesday.

Both buildings have been part of the downtown skyline for nearly a quarter of a century but have been abandoned for years.

The city has been working with property owners on development plans.

“We are hopeful that both of these buildings can be redeveloped and returned to productive use and become an important part of the city,” Beath said.

There is a demolition order for the former Richford Hotel, but Beath said he hopes the owners will adhere to specific criteria to prevent that from happening.

“Usually our code enforcement people need a maintenance schedule to keep them from moving forward with the show — my understanding is that they have a preliminary schedule that has work going on over the summer,” Beath said.

Still, Beath says the top priority will always be public safety and that the city is committed to making sure the area is safe before the road reopens.

“So we’re looking to work with the developers but at the same time make sure they’re keeping the building safe,” Beath said.

The city says it hopes developers will move quickly to secure redevelopment projects and will continue to enforce regulations and monitor projects.