George Eastman House Museum Visitors Center

Founded in 1947, the George Eastman Museum is the world’s oldest photography and film museum located on the historic Rochester, NY estate of George Eastman, the pioneer of popular photography. A major construction project was tasked to relocate the main entrance and create a new Visitors Center. Now the Museum entry is more convenient, visible, welcoming and accessible.

The Visitors Center, a new glass-and-steel structure, has preserved the historic façade of George Eastman’s garage on its interior and created a single hub for entry to the Museum, Dryden Theatre, a fully renovated education/meeting hall, new café and gift shop.

Pathfinder provided mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection engineering to relocate and redesign the main entrance. Design also included renovations to The Colonnade, which provides the only interior route between George Eastman Museum’s main entrance and galleries and the historic mansion and gardens. The new visitor center also includes a new café and museum shop.

The mechanical systems include a built-in-place unity for the Curtis Theatre and a rooftop unit serving the Gift Shop, Café and Palm House. Each includes energy recovery. The lobby area has flat steel radiators and new controls allowing for better space conditioning.

Plumbing and lavatory fixtures were updated and Pathfinder provided rework of the fire protection system for the modified spaces.

New power and lighting were provided. Existing structural, such as varied ceiling heights and angles, created lighting design complexities. The lighting layout coordinates with each area and utilizes period-appropriate LED fixtures.

Modifications and additions complied with SHPO and the Rochester Preservation Board.