2023 House & Garden Tour tickets are on sale now!

The 2023 House & Garden Tour will take place on Saturday and Sunday, June 10th and 11th.  We’re especially excited about this year’s event, which will provide exclusive access to a neighborhood that has never before opened its doors to a Landmark House & Garden tour: Brighton Browncroft. This picturesque neighborhood, located above Ellison Park, features distinctive lots on curvilinear roadways, a central triangular park, and a classically inspired bridge traversing a creek.

Ticket holders will be invited to tour six private homes, including fabulous mid-century modern homes by Olga Valvano and celebrated African American architect Thomas Boyde Jr., several early 20th century classic houses; along with two special gardens.

Tickets must be purchased in advance, on our website only. This year, your ticket is good for both days of the tour, with a limit of one visit to each site. Visit the link below to get yours!

Sacred Sites Tour - Tickets are limited!

Tickets are going fast!

The Sacred Sites tour on Sunday, May 21st, will include visits to five of greater Rochester’s most iconic houses of worship.  We will explore religious architecture that spans over 150 years, from Gothic Revival edifices to contemporary landmarks by noted architects Louis Kahn and James Johnson. The five sites include The Church of St. Luke and St. Simon Cyrene (Episcopal) on S. Fitzhugh Street, St. Michael’s Catholic Church on N. Clinton Avenue, Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church on East Avenue, First Unitarian Church on S. Winton Road, and Temple Sinai on Penfield Road. Participants will drive between each tour stop, following a provided schedule of presentations with the first one starting at 1 pm and and the last one concluding at 5 pm. A team of experts will provide commentary at each stop: Joseph Kelly, Professor of Religious Studies (Emeritus) at Nazareth College, Christopher Brandt, Preservation Architect, and Cynthia Howk, Landmark Society Architectural Research Coordinator (retired.)

The Sunday, May 21st tour is 60% SOLD OUT, so don’t hesitate to get your tickets, which also include a pre-tour lecture on Wednesday, May 17th.

Gems of Eastern Europe - Airfare deal extended!

Mayflower Tours has generously extended the airfare deal for our upcoming Gems of Eastern Europe cruise on the Eastern Danube!  Join us for a 12-day trip (October 4-15, 2023) aboard a luxurious Emerald Cruises StarShip.  Visit five distinctive countries: Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Romania with expert guides and personal attention.

Landmark Travels just returned from a Emerald Cruises tour of the Rhine River valley. We started in Amsterdam, cruised through Germany, and finished with three days exploring beautiful Switzerland. It was an unforgettable experience full of incredible food, breathtaking views, and fascinating history.

Rates for the Gems of Eastern Europe tour start at $6,645 per person, depending on cabin selected. Reserve your spot with a deposit ASAP!  Free airfare through May 30th. 

Rochester Brainery Spring Classes

Several of our spring Architecture in the Wild classes with the Rochester Brainery are already sold out, but there’s still room to join us on June 14th to explore the 19th Ward. Our popular tours, led by members of the Young Urban Preservationists (YUPs), are a great way to learn more about Rochester’s architecture, whether you’re new to town or have been here for decades. You’re guaranteed to walk away with a new vocabulary and perhaps a new favorite style. We have more tours coming soon in July, August, September, and October.

Want to learn more about the architects that designed some of the buildings you’ll see on our walking tours? Sign up for one (or both!) of our Rochester’s Great Architects classes (“The Rulemakers” on May 18th and “The Rulebreakers” on June 1st). These indoor classes will be held at our office in historic Warner Castle, and will provide you with fun facts, great visuals, and a bit of historical gossip! They’re the perfect complement to our walking tours.

Ellwanger Garden Open Weekends

Join us for two weekends in May and one in June!

The weekends of May 13th & 14th, May 20th and 21st, and June 3rd and 4th, Ellwanger Garden (625 Mt Hope Ave) will be open from 12-noon to 3pm. Look for signs directing to nearby off-site parking. In early June, enjoy old fashioned roses and gorgeous peonies. This perennial flower garden has been continuously cultivated since 1867, and boasts unusual plants that our volunteers and horticulture staff will be happy to point out! A $5 donation per person is appreciated to help maintain this historic landscape.

Interested in volunteering with us?

Join Landmark Society staff and volunteers on Monday May 22nd between 5pm and 7pm for an informal gathering at Warner Castle, and find out about all of the different volunteer opportunities with The Landmark Society. We’ll share about such diverse activities as the House and Garden Tour, garden volunteers, tour leaders, beer/architecture scavenger hunts and more.

Whether you have never volunteered with us, or if you volunteer at one activity and would like to learn about the others – we’d love to see you! Light refreshments and informal tours of the first floor of Warner Castle will be offered.

Come with your questions and your calendar – take away information, or even sign up on the spot!

Please RSVP to Cindy Boyer so we have enough nibbles for everyone (and can give you parking instructions) at cboyer@landmarksociety.org

Upcoming Events

May 13th & 14th / May 20th and 21st: Ellwanger Open Garden Days (Lilac Festival weekends)

May 15th: Rochester Brainery Class: “Architecture in the Wild: Exploring Downtown’s West Side” (SOLD OUT!!)

May 18th: Rochester Brainery Class: “Rochester’s Great Architects: The Rulemakers“

May 21st: Sacred Sites Tour

May 22nd: Volunteer Open House

May 23rd: Rochester Brainery Class: “Architecture in the Wild: Maplewood’s Lake View Park” (SOLD OUT!)

June 1st: Rochester Brainery Class: “Rochester’s Great Architects: The Rulebreakers“

June 10th & 11th: 2023 House & Garden Tour (Saturday & Sunday) – Tickets on sale now!

June 14th: Rochester Brainery Class: “Architecture in the Wild: Exploring the 19th Ward“

June 22nd: Rochester Brainery Class: “Architecture in the Wild: Maplewood’s Seneca Parkway” (SOLD OUT!)

5 Castle Park, Rochester, NY 14620
PHONE: (585) 546-7029 x10 · FAX: (585) 546-4788