Rochester Riverside Convention Center Escalator & Stair Replacements

The Rochester Riverside Convention Center is the primary exhibition and meeting facility in Rochester, NY. Opened in August 1985, the facility is the largest in Upstate New York and currently offers 49,275 sq. ft. of exhibit space, a 10,000 sq. ft. ballroom, and 14,924 sq. ft. of meeting space. The Center had ten escalators that were original to the building and serve as the transportation to and from the South Ave. Parking Garage, Hyatt Hotel, and the Skyway to the Convention Center and Rochester Riverside Hotel. With aging infrastructure and significantly increasing cost of maintenance and safety upgrades, as well as unavailable Westinghouse parts, LaBella developed a plan to replace all ten escalators within the pedestrian active facility.

Working with the City of Rochester and the Center’s management team, it was determined that full replacement of six escalators and converting four escalators to stairs was the most economical and pedestrian friendly solution. The team analyzed structural loading and phasing throughout demolition and installation and provided oversight compliance with critical schedule requirements to minimize interruptions for public access to events.