Gannett Hill Reservations
The observatory is open to all individuals, regardless of association with the University of Rochester. Groups associated with regular ASTR classes may visit with instructor approval. Other groups should seek department approval.
Mees Observatory & Gannett House Reservation Request:
Please email: gannetthillreservations@mail.pas.rochester.edu
- Name/Organization/Course
- Requested Date & Time, Provide rain/snow Date & Time
- Confirm use of observatory and/or gannett house
- # of people in group
- Phone number of contact person
An email response will be provided within 2 business days to confirm/revise your reservation.
Please reference the following documents on Gannett House Utilization Rules & Mees Observatory Telescope Checklist:
Gannett House Utilization Rules
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/ to 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
Mark Minarich
Observatory Tours Director
mminaric@ur.rochester.edu