Voplex building

The Voplex building is a remarkable office building located in Pittsford, New York close to Interstate 490 approaching the city of Rochester, New York from the east. The name is a local one, not formally conferred on the building. Instead it refers to the fact that the building was occupied by offices of Voplex Corporation, a supplier of automotive custom plastic products such as interior trim. A sign with the name "Voplex" in large letters was visible for quite a distance, and the name stuck. Different tenants now occupy the building, and its official name is simply the address on Pittsford-Victor Road. Coincidentally, it is within a quarter mile of the Mushroom House, another notable piece of local architecture, but one not visible from a distance, being located in woods.

Another office building, located in Canandaigua, New York, is also a former Voplex location, and is likewise known as the "Voplex building". However it is of conventional design.

Unfortunately, the brand name Voplex has recently been used for a product which relates to erections of an entirely different kind, so web searches for the "Voplex building" tend to result in many references to this product. Such searches should be avoided in places where this can cause embarrassment.

Views of the building

Passing moderately high around a hill, the I-490 highway gives a fine view of the city in the distance with the Voplex building in the near foreground, below the road. From this vantage, one can see the shape of the building as a decagonal, lenticular shape raised up on a much smaller rectangular base. Three segments of the polygon are missing on the south side, forming the main entrance.

The building has been likened to a large pie with a section cut out, a flying saucer, and the Millennium Falcon. It was designed by the architect Carlton DeWolff, founder of the nationally recognized firm of DeWolff Partnership Architects LLP ( [http://www.dewolff.com website] ). Other designs in his portfolio include the International Museum of Photography at the George Eastman House, and the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester.

External links

* [http://rochesterdandc.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050731/BUSINESS/507310313/0/SPECIALS08 Newspaper article] about Carlton DeWolff.
* [http://www.dewolff.com DeWolff Partnership Architects LLP]