Neighborhood in Rochester · Olmsted County
Downtown
Downtown Rochester combines apartments around Fourth Street SW and First Avenue SW with Mayo Clinic’s downtown campus, groceries and an indoor pedestrian network.
Downtown apartments, First Avenue groceries and the pedestrian subway and skyway network.
About Downtown
Downtown Rochester combines apartments around Fourth Street SW and First Avenue SW with Mayo Clinic’s downtown campus, groceries and an indoor pedestrian network. The HUE offers flexible leases and in-home laundry; Metropolitan Market Place lists furnished studios and larger apartments above People’s Food Co-op.
Flexible leases, furnished studios and included utilities
The HUE, at 33 Fourth Street SW, lists studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments with in-home laundry, balconies and flexible lease options. Its amenities include indoor bike storage, a package room, a rooftop deck and on- and off-site parking. The operator describes the building as adjacent to the skyway.
Metropolitan Market Place, at 515 First Avenue SW, lists studios through three-bedroom apartments. Its studios are described as furnished, and the apartment pages include a washer and dryer, cable, Wi-Fi and utilities other than electricity. Heated underground parking is offered for a separate rental charge, with limited spaces. The operator also advertises a Mayo Clinic shuttle.
Groceries on First Avenue SW
People’s Food Co-op, at 519 First Avenue SW, occupies Metropolitan Market Place’s ground floor. The store lists daily hours of 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Its wine, beer and spirits department has a different schedule: noon to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. The apartment operator identifies the grocery, deli and bakery as part of the same building.
What the subway and skyway connect
Downtown’s subway is a pedestrian walkway below street level; the skyways are elevated walking connections. Metropolitan Market Place describes itself as one block from the system, so that location still includes an outdoor approach. Mayo’s current pedestrian guide maps routes around downtown construction and directs patients toward the subway where surrounding sidewalks are closed.
Overnight parking and the changed street network
For a car kept downtown overnight, the City’s Second Street Ramp page distinguishes a $154 monthly daytime random pass from a $168 24/7 random pass and a $173 24/7 assigned pass. Its $224 assigned option is labeled commercial. The City charges an initial access-card fee separately and says vehicles left after 2:30 a.m. incur overnight charges unless their pass is designated 24/7. SP+ handles pass applications and can be reached at 507-282-4545.
The vacated section of Third Avenue SW between Second Street SW and West Center Street permanently closed to all traffic on October 7, 2026. That removes the former vehicle approach to Gonda’s west entrance.
Neighborhoods and districts near Downtown
The closest neighborhoods and districts in Rochester, measured center to center.
- Under 1 miKutzky ParkKutzky Park lies west of downtown Rochester, with tree-lined residential streets, older houses and newer apartment buildings near Mayo Clinic.
- Under 1 miSlatterly ParkSlatterly Park stretches from Third Avenue SE toward its namesake park in southeast Rochester.
- 1.1 miFolwellFolwell’s northern edge includes Mayo Clinic’s Saint Marys Campus on Second Street SW, with residential streets extending south from the hospital area.
Sources & data notesReferences, reporting periods, and how to use this information
Information on this page is compiled from multiple sources and provided for general information. It may be incomplete or out of date, and we do not guarantee its accuracy, completeness, or timeliness. Independently verify important details with the original source, relevant authority, or a qualified professional before making decisions.
Statistics keep their reporting periods. Survey estimates are not current asking prices or quotes for an individual property. Displayed values are rounded.
- Flexible leases, furnished studios and included utilitiesThe HUE — apartment features, lease options and locationSource checked The operator describes skyway-adjacent access and on- and off-site parking. No lease duration, asking rent, included internet charge or vacancy is inferred.
- Flexible leases, furnished studios and included utilities, Groceries on First Avenue SW, What the subway and skyway connectMetropolitan Market Place — apartments, utilities and grocery connectionSource checked Original operator describes furnished studios, larger apartment layouts, utilities except electricity and a skyway entrance one block away. Limited heated garage parking is rented separately.
- Groceries on First Avenue SWPeople’s Food Co-op — Rochester grocery address and hoursSource checked Rochester grocery store hours are distinct from its wine, beer and spirits department and from the separate La Crosse store.
- What the subway and skyway connectRochester Downtown Alliance — pedestrian subway and skyway networkSource checked The subway here is an underground walking network, not a rail service.
- What the subway and skyway connectMayo Clinic — current downtown pedestrian routesSource checked Current construction guidance for pedestrians; it does not establish that every apartment has an indoor route to every campus building.
- Overnight parking and the changed street networkCity of Rochester — monthly public-parking passesSource checked Second Street Ramp accordion read live October 25, 2026: daytime random $154; 24/7 random $168; 24/7 assigned $173; 24/7 assigned commercial $224. Initial access-card fee is separate and rates can change.
- Overnight parking and the changed street networkCity of Rochester — permanent Third Avenue SW vehicle closureSource checked September 28, 2026 notice establishes an October 7 permanent closure for the vacated section between Second Street SW and West Center Street; it is not a closure of the entire avenue.