“ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Original Grain, the downtown Syracuse restaurant specializing in grain bowls, salads, nori wraps and other health-conscious offerings, opened its second location in Rochester today.

The restaurant announced on social media that its new location inside the Tower280 Building, a luxury mixed-use high-rise building located at 280 E. Broad St. in Rochester, opened for business this morning.”

“Syracuse, N.Y. – Original Grain, the cafe that brought smoothies, seaweed wraps and poke bowls to downtown, is expanding into Rochester.

The new Original Grain is going into Tower 280 at Midtown, a redeveloped building in Rochester with floors of luxury apartments, office space and retail shops. OG owner Chris Bily said he hopes to open in early fall.”

“Perched high up on the 14th floor of at the former Top of the Plaza restaurant at Midtown Tower, Brandon Comella has a bird’s eye view of downtown Rochester.  The restaurant is now a luxury apartment, renamed Tower280 at Midtown, part of downtown Rochester’s revitalization. 

When Comella toured the space a year and a half ago as it was being constructed, he was living in a condo at The Sagamore on East. Buoyed by the location and amenities, Comella decided to give up condo ownership for apartment living at Tower280.

‘This is exactly what I’m looking for,’ said Comella, 46, who works as an orthodontist.”

“Tower280 checks all the right boxes on current multifamily housing trends, from architectural designs to amenities. The 181 apartments (including two penthouses) have open floor plans with lots of natural light.”

“The big visual appeal for us, though, is the setting. At the new Branca, you look out onto a redeveloped—or redeveloping—neighborhood with new streets, new trees, and street lights that change colors. It’s fresh and urban.

On the menu, you’ll find pastas and pizzas, along with beef, fish and chicken dishes—most with updated touches. All of the wines are from Italy, which means diners are sure to find something new—and appropriate—to accompany their meals.”

“The Urban Land Institute New York honored the development with its award for excellence in repositioning or redevelopment. In doing so, the institute praised the project as ‘the most significant redevelopment in the Rochester region in decades,’ calling the 17-story tower with its color-changing LED lighting, ‘a beacon’ in the city skyline.”

“Bergmann Associates’ new downtown headquarters undoubtedly means a lot of things to a lot of different people.

It’s a stake in the ground that Rochester — and more specifically the second floor of Tower280 —  will be the firm’s home for at least another 12 years.

It’s a testament of how modern workspaces are moving away from walled-in offices, cubicles with high partitions and to wide-open collaborative areas that encourage more interaction among workers and visitors.

It’s also proof to some that a project with retail, commercial and residential spaces can work at the former Midtown Plaza site, even with the retail portion still largely a work in progress.”