Tobin First Prize
Origins and History
In 1924, Tobin's First Prize was opened by owner Frederick M. Tobin . It was first opened in Rochester and was a highly reputable meat packing factory. It was known for it's First Prize Hots/ white hots and was regarded as the "Tiffany" of meat.
It was one of the very few meat packing factories that was federally inspected and Mr. Tobin employed nearly 1,000 people.
Mr. Tobin came into financial trouble following the Second World War. He was forced to lay off many of his employees. In 1969 he retired, and the company later closed down its Rochester location and kept it's Albany location. However, this business move did not stop the company from going under. Making barely any profit, First prize closed it's doors for good in 1976.
First Prize Today
First Prize had been completely abandoned for decades. It was been known to host adventurous teens, vandals, partiers and more. Despite this, it was purchased in 2018 for $4 million.
Per the Times Union, it was scheduled for demolition in late 2019, and was completely demolished and taken down as of 2022.
© 2019 Elijah DeVivo