If you are artistically inclined, chances are you’ve heard of the Hungerford Building. The sprawling industrial edifice on the corner of North Goodman and East Main Streets has housed several studio spaces over the past few decades, but it was originally home to the largest producer of fruit syrups and ice cream toppings in the country.
The Hungerford Building at 410 North Goodman Street. From: Democrat & Chronicle, January 1, 1927.
The building’s namesake, J. Hungerford Smith, began his career as a pharmacist in the hamlet of Au Sable Forks, NY. He opened up a drug store there in 1879, but soon found himself disappointed with the products available for the soda fountain in his shop.
J. Hungerford Smith. From: Democrat & Chronicle, April 20, 1932.
Finding the flavorings for ice cream sodas and sundaes too artificial tasting, Smith put his chemistry background to good use and proceeded to conduct experiments with a variety of fruits and foodstuffs.
The resulting formulas proved successful and word of Smith’s wares quickly spread throughout the state, drawing visitors to Au Sable Forks such as showman P.T. Barnum and President Grover Cleveland. These celebrity taste testers acted as early influencers, helping to promote Smith’s products to a wider audience.
The demand for Smith’s “true fruit” syrups and ice cream toppings soon outpaced his pharmaceutical business, so the chemist-turned-entrepreneur set up a factory to manufacture his soda fountain fare, first in Au Sable Forks, then in Plattsburgh, NY. It wasn’t long before Hungerford outgrew that town as well, and in the late 1880s, he began setting his sights on New York City.
Before he was able to make the move, a group of Rochester businessmen visited Smith in Plattsburgh and offered him substantial capital should he establish his business in their city. Smith agreed, and in 1890, he set up shop at 19 Elm Street (now Andrew Langston Way).
A circa 1893 ad for J. Hungerford Smith, when the company sold a variety of products including fly paper and baking powder. From: Democrat & Chronicle, June 8, 1893.
By century’s end, the J. Hungerford Smith Company counted 200 employees.
A circa 1904 ad for J. Hungerford Smith, “Manufacturing Chemists.” From: Rochester City Directory, 1904.
In order to accommodate this rapid growth, the company relocated to a sizable railside lot on the southeast corner of North Goodman and East Main Streets in 1900.
The J. Hungerford Smith “laboratory” at 410 North Goodman Street in 1900. City of Rochester Plat Map, 1900.
The firm started out in an industrial edifice on the property that had manufactured rifles during the Spanish-American War, then, over time, constructed additional structures on the site, eventually amassing five buildings totaling more than 200,000 square feet of space.
The company’s campus as it appeared in 1935. City of Rochester Plat Map, 1935.
Therein, employees worked tirelessly to create J. Hungerford Smith’s signature products. The outfit was especially well known for its line of “true fruit” syrups, including Orangeade, Cherry Chic, Niagara punch, and Tangy Club punch, curiously referred to as “the men’s favorite.” Customers could purchase these thirst-quenching beverages at soda fountains and lunch counters, or mix the syrups with water (carbonated or still) at home.
This circa 1915 ad features a soda jerk serving Smith’s Royal Purple Grape Juice. From: Democrat & Chronicle, July 13, 1915.
In addition to its original beverage offerings, J. Hungerford Smith also manufactured the flavor concentrate for root beer giant, A&W.
The soda fountain supplier offered an array of ice cream toppings as well, like hot fudge and maraschino cherries. The latter were made solely with fruits from area farms until the demand outgrew local sources.
Surveying maraschino cherry production at the J. Hungerford Smith plant in Rochester. From: Democrat & Chronicle, October 23, 1955.
Business continued to prosper long after founder J. Hungerford Smith passed away in 1932.
In the 1950s, the firm opened plants in Cleveland, OH, Modesto, CA, Humboldt, TN, as well as a Michigan facility devoted entirely to cherry processing. The following decade, the company established a Canadian operation in Toronto and acquired A&W Restaurants.
The same year that J. Hungerford Smith Co. took ownership of the fast-food chain—1963—the firm left its longtime urban headquarters on North Goodman Street for a new factory in Victor, NY. It remained at the location just five years before moving to Tennessee, by which time the business had been acquired by the United Fruit Company.
Currently owned by Conagra Foods, J. Hungerford Smith continues to manufacture a wide variety of fruit syrups and ice cream toppings. The eponymous edifice the company left behind went on to become a haven for local artists[1] and the home of several businesses, including, somewhat appropriately, Eat Me Ice Cream.
-Emily Morry
[1] Including a number of local bands, such as Ringo Bango and his Talking Dog.
Local History ROCs! 
This is a cool article! Never knew what kind of business is was till now. Any pictures of the south side of the building from back then with the rail cars there as that used to be quite the siding back then from looking at the map?
So cool this made me smile to now know such history of the building I walk so often with my daughter! This made me think of my grandparents and the time they moved here from Italy to start a new life in the 1920-1930’s!
Hey, Eat Me Ice Cream here. We are located in the door one side and it seems that we have found our home! History repeats itself. As we have worked to bring real flavorings back to dairy and vegan ice cream in that building. We have been there since 2015-2016 now!
My husband is related to J Hungerford Smith. When our son went to work at a local ice cream place, they had J Hungerford Smith syrups and chocolate. He said, “Hey, that’s my great, great great (maybe another great) grandfather!” They made SO MUCH fun of him, telling them there was no way that was true. So one day, I took our beautiful J Hungerford Smith portrait off our wall and I went over there. I asked them to bring out one of their cans and they did. I pointed to his portrait on the can, pulled the portrait up, and pointed to him. “See, he’s telling the truth! When you fill out his paperwork, you’ll know that his middle name is Hungerford – as is my husbands.” 🙂 Oddly, my son hadn’t thought of just pulling out his school ID, which he did then. We all had a good laugh out of it, but they never made fun of him again.
I loved this article, it was fun to read. I forwarded it on to my husband and son too.
Great story. I was researching my family tree and found out my Great Grandfather, Charles H. Coon, worked here as a helper (whatever that was) around 1908 1909. Sadly he died at 65 in March 1910 of heart attack. Hope it wasn’t from hard work making syrups.
My parents and grandparents owned a few restaurants in West Virginia, and I used to eat there all the time as a kid. Of course, desserts were one of my favorites, and I regularly ordered the “hot fudge sundae”. I can still remember the taste distinctly. Well, this evening, my mother was telling a story and she mentioned “J Hungerford Smith” fudge sauce and said that it was the only brand they ever used in their restaurants. It was a name which I had never heard before. So, being the curious fellow, I searched and found this page. I also read the back of the label from one of the modern (Conagra) cans and although I should not be surprised, I was disappointed to see that the product ingredients are awful and probably have no resemblance at all to the original formula. I would be willing to bet that SOY and HYDROGENATED OILS and CORN SYRUP were not in the J. Hungerford Smith fudge sauce I enjoyed as a kid back in the 70’s and 80’s. 🙂
Anyway, I enjoyed reading the post above by the family members of J. Hungerford Smith and the history of the company. Now I know the story, and I will send this article to my mom and dad.
What year was cherry flavored syrup sold in a brown bottle with ornate ridges and a yellow label?
I didn’t come across those bottles in my blog research, but I just did a quick search online and it looks like a number of auction sites (ebay etc) are dating those bottles to the 1950s-1960s era.
i just acquired a lemon syrup bottle. Pretty cool.
Looking to find out what picture is worth . It is Hungerford Smith Co. Called true fruit.
Your best bet would probably be to do a google image search and see if any online auction sites are selling the image (or images like it). That might give you an idea as to how much the image, or those like it, are selling for/what they’re worth.
I have a wooden crate that held half a dozen Golden Orange fountain syrup gallons.
I have a J H smith Co. drinks dispenser from about 1910 I believe. It is a great big colorless glass ball with dimples in the glass and when you fill it with orange juice or whiskey sours it looks like a big orange with a dimpled surface.
It has a black gravity feed serving handle.
I bought it in an Alexandria VA antique place about 50 yearsago
I found a clear glass lid that probably fits a Lightning style fruit jar with J. Hungerford Smith Rochester, N.,Y. on it. Good to learn the history of the maker.
The man in the picture to the left
accompanying the statement below is my father, William Carvel Martin.
Surveying maraschino cherry production at the J. Hungerford Smith plant in Rochester. From: Democrat & Chronicle, October 23, 1955. He was plant manager for many years before retiring in the mid-to late fifties. His father, (my grandfather) William Frank Martin Started out as a salesman and years later the President of the company.and later Chairman of the board.
Many happy memories of J. Hungerford Smith Company. Not bad being a kid and having your father and grandfather. running factory at made fountain supplies like A&W rootbeer, ice cream toppings and the like.
Hello, this might sound strange but I’m doing a project on the house at 4347 East Ave, Rochester, and I believe your grandfather owned it around 1943-1949 before he sold it to Nazareth College. I apologize for reaching out here of all places, but by chance do you know anything about the house while your grandfather lived there?