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East Ave and East Main St., Rochester, NY 14604 ![[Directions]](/wiki/dd-start.png "Click for driving, walking, or bus directions from Google"){kind=small} |
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2008 Photo by Flickr User _yoshi_
CC (Noncommercial) Attribute 2007 Photo by Flickr User _yoshi_ The Liberty Pole is a well known steel sculpture located at the downtown intersection of East Avenue, East Main Street, and Franklin Street.
The current pole is the third liberty pole to have graced our city; designed by local architect James H. Johnson, it was erected in 1965. The original was built in 1846, constructed from wood, and eventually toppled. A similar fate met its successor which was destroyed by a storm the day after Christmas in 1889.
Each year around Christmas, the Liberty Pole is strung with lights and lit up at night. 2007 Christmas Lighting of the Liberty Pole (video)
Santas will meet at the Liberty Pole on Saturday, December 12, 2009 at 1:30 PM for Santacon!
See TheLibertyPole.com for detailed history and photos.
Protest Site
A Rainy Evening
The Liberty Pole This site has become a popular location for organized protest in our city, due to its symbolic significance. In many ways this serves as a disadvantage to protestors, as it allows them to be more easily pushed from relevant protest areas to this statue1.
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2005 Usenet discussion about Bush Protest - protestors assembling at the Liberty Pole, several miles away from the actual location of President George W Bush's 2005 visit.
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Music Festivals - have held a Wednesday Nights @ The Liberty Pole "...European-style street party dubbed Pole-A-Palooza..."
- 1This was the case when protestors speaking out against President George W Bush were not allowed anywhere near the actual site of his speech when he came to the area to discuss social security reform in 2005. Rather than contesting this, most protestors assembled effectively out of sight at the Liberty Pole.
