Rochester Medical Museum and Archives, Rochester

The Rochester Medical Museum and Archives offers a deep and richly layered exploration of the city’s medical history, preserving a broad range of materials that trace the evolution of healthcare in Rochester from 1847 to the present. Initially founded in 1947 in a small room of the Rochester General Hospital, the museum began with simple boxes of letters, documents, and photographs.

Today, it holds nineteen distinct archival collections representing over twenty medical institutions. These include major repositories such as the Baker-Cederberg Museum and Archives of Rochester General Hospital, the Genesee Hospital Archives, and the Myers and Newark-Wayne Community Hospitals. Additional collections highlight the contributions of the New York State and Genesee Dietetic Associations, the Behavioral Health Network, and the Emergency Medical Services Collection-together forming an expansive documentation of the region’s medical development.

Since 2014, the museum has been housed on the 5,000-square-foot second floor of the Rochester Academy of Medicine, itself a historical institution founded in 1899. The building, a 1908 former residence donated to the Academy in 1939, now serves as the permanent home for the museum’s diverse offerings. Visitors can explore permanent displays, traveling exhibits, and rotating thematic shows featuring photographs, artworks, and curated vignettes. At the core of the institution is a research library, storing extensive archives from Rochester General Hospital and related facilities across New York.

The museum also features an onsite gallery and gift shop, with proceeds supporting ongoing archival and programming efforts. Through its exhibitions and historical collections, the Rochester Medical Museum and Archives serve as both an educational center and a guardian of the city’s medical heritage, chronicling over a thousand years of health-related progress in the region.