The successful vote in the
legislature brings an end to a month-long struggle to find a suitable building.
The original proposal was for the business to move into the Sibley building, a historic five story located on Franklin Street, but a push began last month to instead place the headquarters in Legacy Tower, formerly the Bausch and Lomb Building and one of the tallest buildings in Rochester. The general sentiment was that the Legacy was more move-in ready, while the Sibley would require considerable renovation. It is not entirely bad news for the historic building, however, which will still host the workforce development offices AIM Photonics.
The decision is the final piece in establishing a new state-of-the-art headquarters for the American Institute for Manufacturing Photonics, after the state of New York won a national competition to receive $110m from the U.S. Department of Defense. The state is also investing $250m in a bid to create the next generation of advanced photonics in the Rochester-Fairport area.
Now that the address has finally been nailed down, business card printing can also get underway. Offices at the Legacy Tower will begin to be filled in the next few months.