Gannett Hill Reservations

4/6/22: The observatory is open to all individuals, regardless of association with the University of Rochester, subject to restrictions that will persist for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic. Groups associated with regular ASTR classes may visit with instructor approval; other groups should seek department approval. All visitors must abide by the following rules:

Mees Observatory & Gannett House Reservation Request:

Please email:  gannetthillreservations@mail.pas.rochester.edu

The Gannett House is available between May 1 and October 31 for retreats and conferences hosted by University personnel. Located in Bristol Springs, New York, the Gannett House is adjacent to the C.E.K. Mees Observatory, a state of the art astronomical observatory.

The Gannett House fee is $200.00 per use. The most popular dates are September and October.

The Gannett House is heated on cooler days and has a working kitchen without utensils. Furnishings include a large conference table with 6 conference chairs, a screened porch with picnic table, approximately 25 folding chairs, lounge furniture and a slide screen (no projector). The House holds a maximum of 50 attendees. King’s Catering in Canandaigua has provided services to the Gannett House. They can be contacted at 394-6407 or 396-9773.

The Department of Physics & Astronomy offers public tours of the C.E.K. Mees Observatory on Friday and Saturday evenings during June, July and August. Use of the Gannett House on the same day as a public tour must be concluded by no later than 6:30 p.m. If members of your group wish to remain on the site and participate in a tour, they must use the reservations website at https://webapps.pas.rochester.edu/mees/ make that request. Reservations fill up early in the season and it may not be possible to accommodate such a request. The maximum capacity for tours is 20 attendees.

See our map and driving directions to the Gannett House and Mees Observatory from the Rochester area.

For more information, contact:

Department of Physics & Astronomy
Bausch & Lomb 206
University of Rochester
Rochester, NY 14627-0171
(585) 275-4351

Carol Latta Mees
Observatory Tours Director
(585) 230-9548 cell
(585) 392-7241 home
cosmos@astro.pas.rochester.edu
cosmos@rochester.rr.com