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Landmark Alerts

Ellwanger Garden Peony & Rose Weekend

June is rose and peony season at Rochester’s historic Ellwanger Garden.  After two successful weekends during the Lilac Festival, we’re opening the garden again this weekend.  On Saturday June 3rd and Sunday June 4th, Ellwanger Garden (625 Mt Hope Ave) will be open from 12-noon to 3pm. Look for signs directing to nearby off-site parking.  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.
More about Ellwanger Garden

Architecture for Lunch starts next week

Architecture for Lunch starts next week! Timed to fit in with busy schedules and weekday lunch breaks, these 25-minute tours feature information about the history and architecture of downtown Rochester neighborhoods. Tours are led by former Landmark staff member and educator, Tyler Lucero.

Architecture for Lunch tours are FREE and open to the public (no reservations required, just show up!), held rain or shine, for the most interesting lunch break you’ve ever taken.

This year’s tours:

All tours take place 12:15-12:40 on Wednesdays in Rochester.
Events Calendar

Brand New Architecture in the Wild Classes

More Architecture in the Wild classes with the Rochester Brainery are available for registration. On Wednesday, July 26th, join us for Architecture in the Wild: Exploring Corn Hill’s Architectural History. This popular walking tour around Rochester’s historic third ward neighborhood always sells out, so don’t hesitate!  We also have two brand new Architecture in the Wild tours for 2023.  On Thursday, August 10th, we’ll explore Upper Monroe, a neighborhood of early 20th century homes adjacent to Cobbs Hill.  On August 23rd, we’ll walk some of the streets around the southeast section of the Inner Loop that were spared from demolition. We’re calling this one “The Inner Loop Leftovers,” but don’t let the name fool you – there are lots of hidden gems around South Union Street and Monroe Avenue.

Back by popular demand! A summer encore of “The Rocks That Built Rochester” class will be held on Monday, July 17th at Radio Social. In this class, taught by members of the Young Urban Preservationists (YUPs), you’ll learn about some of our area’s most treasured landmarks and the links to the ancient geologic processes that made them possible and influence their preservation today.
Register for summer classes

Happy Pride! Join us for the Rochester Pride Parade on July 15th

Happy Pride Month! Rochester may not celebrate Pride until July, but June is the perfect time for one of our self-guided LGBTQ Historic Sites Walking Tours.  There are six available to download on our website, each covering a different part of the City and some of the most important people and places in our region’s LGBTQ history:

Tour 1: The LGBTQ Resistance movement in the 100-Acre Tract, Rochester’s oldest “neighborhood,” in the 1970s.
Tour 2: The LGBTQ Resistance movement in Lower East End and Center City Neighborhoods during the 1980s and 90s.
Tour 3: The LGBTQ Resistance movement in Rochester’s Washington Square Neighborhood and Midtown District.
Tour 4: A stroll down Monroe Avenue and Monroe Village, the former home of the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley (now the Out Alliance)
Tour 5: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Gay Liberation Front at the University of Rochester
Tour 6: Rochester’s LGBTQ Women’s History

We had such a great time with staff and supporters at the Rochester Pride Parade last year that we want to invite all of you to join us this year! Rochester’s Pride Parade takes place on Saturday, July 15th at 1:00pm on Park Avenue. “The Thing,” a vintage Volkswagen vehicle provided by members John Strawway and Mark Chaplin, will be back by popular demand! This year, we will have custom-made Landmark Pride t-shirts. Email or call Larry Francer at lfrancer@landmarksociety.org or (585) 537-5954 to let us know you’ll join us and we’ll reserve a shirt and save you a spot!
LGBTQ Landmarks Initiative & Walking Tour Info

Last chance to get your 2023 House & Garden Tour tickets

We expect tickets to the 2023 House & Garden Tour to sell out, so if you don’t have yours yet, now’s the time!  The 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.
More info and tickets

Landmark Travels - Time to book summer adventures
Landmark Travels has an exciting summer schedule!  We have three great day trips:
  • Cazenovia and Skaneateles on Tuesday, June 27th. This trip sold out last summer, so we’ve brought it back for an encore!  We’ll begin the day in Cazenovia with a visit to the Stone Quarry Art Park and Hilltop House. Then we’ll enjoy lunch at Lincklaen and free time in adorable downtown Cazenovia.  We’ll make a stop at the 1828 Cazenovia Public Library and Museum and then head on to the Lorenzo State Historic Site before finishing in Skaneateles.  You’ll have time to shop before a delicious meal at the iconic Sherwood Inn.
  • All Wright, All Day on Tuesday, July 11th. We’ll spend a full day appreciating Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural genius; with visits to the Martin House complex in Buffalo and Greycliff overlooking Lake Erie.  As a special offer, those who participate in this tour will get priority access to purchase up to two tickets to the September 30th tour of Rochester’s own Frank Lloyd Wright building, the privately-owned Boynton House.
  • Perry and Pike on Friday, August 18th. We’ll discover the charming village of Perry and the strides they’ve taken in preservation.  After lunch, we’ll tour the Silver Lake Institute, a summer community of late 19th century cottages and historic buildings on the shore of Silver Lake. We’ll end the day with a late afternoon visit to the Wyoming County Fair on the Pike Fairgrounds, one of the last 19th century rural county fairgrounds remaining in New York State.
If you’re itching for something more adventurous, don’t forget that we have our Gems of Eastern Europe cruise on the Eastern Danube in October! 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. 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, and get free airfare until June 30th. 
More information

Upcoming Events

June 1st: Rochester Brainery Class: “Rochester’s Great Architects: The Rulebreakers” (SOLD OUT!)

June 3rd & 4th: Peony & Rose Weekend at Ellwanger Garden

June 7th: Architecture for Lunch: Four Corners & City Hall Historic District

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

June 14th: Architecture for Lunch: Washington Square Park Neighborhood

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

June 21st: Architecture for Lunch: High Falls

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

June 28th: Architecture for Lunch: East End and Grove Place

July 17th: Rochester Brainery Class: “The Rocks That Built Rochester“

July 19th: Architecture for Lunch: St. Paul Street / Garment District

July 26: Architecture for Lunch: Liberty Pole & E. Main Historic District

July 26th: Rochester Brainery Class: “Architecture in the Wild: Exploring Corn Hill’s Architectural History“

August 10th: Rochester Brainery Class: “Architecture in the Wild: Exploring Upper Monroe“

August 23rd: Rochester Brainery Class: “Architecture in the Wild: Exploring The Inner Loop Leftovers“
Full Events Calendar

Thank you to our past event sponsors!

The Landmark Society of Western New York is supported, in part, by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature

The Landmark Society receives support from Monroe County through the Mid-Size Arts Organization Grant

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

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