ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Atop the Aqueduct Building is a familiar structure in Rochester’s skyline: Mercury, the Roman god of commerce.

Next to the building is the old Erie Canal Aqueduct. It's currently the Broad Street Bridge, but there have been plans in the works to bring the Aqueduct back to its former use: carrying water over the Genesee River in some capacity.

Gov. Kathy Hochul was in Rochester for the first time as governor on Wednesday to announce Constellation Brands will be moving its headquarters and hundreds of jobs from Victor in Ontario County to the Aqueduct Building in the city. The governor is also promising state funding to help with that transformation as part of the larger series of projects known as "ROC The Riverway."

"We're going to remove the Broad Street Bridge back to its historic level, and it's going to be gorgeous,” Hochul said. “I just looked out the window. I saw what we're going to do and it's going to have a wow factor that will go beyond our boundaries."

The Aqueduct Reimagined Project would remove the vehicular bridge deck on Broad Street, added in 1927, and expose original aqueduct framework constructed in 1836, Hochul said. 

"Today is a turning point in our city's history," Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren said. "Constellation Brands bringing their headquarters downtown and the re-watering of the Broad St. Aqueduct make it clear that we are creating an exciting new future for Rochester. It will be an era of growth that we can all believe in and take part in. I am grateful to Governor Hochul, the Sands family and all of the Constellation team who made today possible. Welcome home!"

The aqueduct opened in 1823, meaning its bicentennial is around the corner.

It has carried water, then trains and now cars.

While Constellation Brands is moving into the Aqueduct Building by 2024, there is no word yet on when exactly this Aqueduct project would be complete.

Constellation says it will invest about $50 million to renovate five buildings on the Aqueduct campus between East Main and Broad streets, and property developers are planning to invest an additional $30 million at the riverfront campus.