ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The largest hotel in Rochester with the best view of the Genesee River sits shuttered, with its top rooms trashed and windows smashed. The old Riverside Hotel, located on prime property downtown, has been closed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, but that hasn’t stopped people from breaking in and causing damage.

Urban explorers Aiden Bross and a friend ventured inside the hotel last December, capturing video of the destruction. The lobby of the old visitors center was covered in graffiti, and as they made their way through the darkness, they eventually found themselves in the hotel lobby.

“Oh dude, you know why? ‘Cause people were throwing parties in here!” Bross exclaimed in the video.

The explorers discovered one of the penthouses on the top floor in a state of disarray.

Berkeley Brean, News10NBC: “When you look at that building, what do you think and see?”

Aiden Bross, urban explorer: “Honestly, it was one of the best adventures of my life.”

Bross says he and his partner don’t break into buildings; they enter through openings.

“Well, it’s definitely sad to see what’s happened to the place now,” Bross said, “how many people have gone in there and just destroyed it.”

The Riverside Hotel was once home to the city’s Saint Patrick’s Day festival and conferences, with a direct link to the convention center. It was even considered as a site for a new performing arts center. However, the hotel has fallen into disrepair, with the pool area showing signs of an arson two years ago.

Michael Burns, Rochester Deputy Mayor: “So I think what you see in that video highlights the risks that come along with properties being vacant.”

Burns says the city has a good relationship with the owners, but when asked if they had filed any construction or development plans, he responded, “We await that day with great optimism.”

In December 2021, Rochester City Council voted 9-0 to approve $13 million in COVID American Rescue Plan money to renovate the second floor of the hotel, which is connected to the convention center. However, that work has not been done, and the city says they pulled the money and put it back into the pot.

“But make no mistake, there is no better way to secure a building and have a property well managed than to have people inside with vibrant activity for whatever the legal purpose of such a structure may be,” Burns said.

The city has fined the owners 31 times for code violations, totaling $6,750. The owners are paying the taxes and are up to date. One owner, Angelo Ingrassia, has never agreed to talk on camera. He’s partnered with a development company in Buffalo, who told News10NBC in an email that they’re working on approvals and have received state money, although the amount was not disclosed.

“Been a long road but almost there … pursuing the last of our approvals and cant wait to start working on the building,” the email stated.

Bross hopes there is a plan to redevelop the hotel. “When my team had gone in there everything was perfect, like it was untouched. Pristine. And now it’s just destroyed,” Bross said.

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