Visitors go below to see unused tunnel

Running roughly from behind the Dinosaur Bar-B-Que on South Avenue, under the Rundel Memorial Library and underneath downtown's Broad Street to near Nick Tahou's restaurant on West Main Street is one of Rochester's less-traveled Erie Canal artifacts.

The Rochester Aqueduct, built in 1840, allowed the Erie Canal to cross over the Genesee River until the aqueduct and tunnel was abandoned around 1918. It was then used to house the Rochester Subway from 1929 to 1956.

Over the decades since, the aqueduct has fallen into disrepair and become a haven for homeless people seeking shelter from the elements. Considerable debate has occurred about what should be done with the historic structure. Most recently the talk has been over whether the city should move forward with a developer's Broad Street Underground plan to convert the space into a two-level mall with shops, restaurants and possibly even a nightclub, or should the city take a more ambitious and costly tack and rewater the aqueduct, tear off Broad Street and restore a fully navigable Erie Canal through downtown?

But on Saturday, hundreds of area residents turned out not for a back-and-forth about the aqueduct's future, but to actually get inside the structure and see the remarkable work done by the local underground artists who have filled the tunnel's walls with beautiful, colorful graffiti artworks. The aqueduct was opened for public tours on Saturday as part of the city's Genesee River Romance weekend, with members of the Canal Society of New York State on hand to offer history and insights.

"Up until today, I didn't even know this existed," said Kentynn Adger of Rochester, 20. He brought along his brother Semaj Adger, 12, and cousin Tasheed Ross, 10. "It's really amazing."

Semaj and Tasheed said they thought the aqueduct should be put back into use somehow.

"Maybe they could take the roof off and make it into a theater of history," said Semaj.

Kimberly Benedetto of Irondequoit is no stranger to the aqueduct, though. She's been coming down into the tunnels for more than five years, chronicling the ever-changing artwork that adorns the walls. She said much of the work is done by the local graffiti art group FUA-Krew (for From up Above).

"I come in every couple of months to see the artwork and meet the painters," she said. "I just love it down here, it has a great feeling."

As for what should happen to the aqueduct, Benedetto said she'd hate to see anything come along that ruins the vibe or makes it inhospitable for the artists.

"I'd love to make it a museum," she said. "I really like it that the artists can come down here and have all this freedom to paint."

While the aqueduct won't be open on Sunday, River Romance events will continue, including a day of hayrides, pumpkin decorating and other activities at Autumn at the Lake from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Ontario Beach Park; tours of Charlotte Cemetery from 1 to 2 p.m.; and the Genesee Regatta and mini-Food Truck Rodeo from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.in Genesee Valley Park.

MCDERMOT@Gannett.com