Elevating Accessibility

One of the key priorities for the George Eastman Museum is the accessibility of our historic mansion and gardens—and all of our facilities. Over the past five years, we have made great progress, and our efforts continue.

The Thomas Tischer Visitor Center (2020) was transformative. The relocated entrance made the museum more convenient for everyone. There are no curbs in the Elaine P. & Richard U. Wilson Entry Court or at the sidewalk in front of the Tischer Visitor Center and Dryden Theatre. The entrance and exit doors can be opened via sensors. The interior was designed so that, although there are entry points at four different elevations, the transitions between the elevations are sloped at less than 1:20, so that ramp railings are not necessary.

In the restoration of the Bruce B. Bates Colonnade, we installed new sliding glass doors to the Terrace Garden that open automatically, with a short delay. In anticipation of our future Mansion Galleries Project, we redesigned the ramp in the Colonnade to place access to the staff portion of the first floor at the top of the ramp, rather than up a set of steps.

As part of our restoration of the Schuyler C. Townson Terrace Garden and its pergola, we regraded the garden paths to eliminate the steps between the garden and the Colonnade, pergola, and Palm House. The bricks in many of the paths were re-set to make them more traversable for those who use wheelchairs or walkers.

George Eastman’s mansion included an elevator, in part because his mother required a wheelchair. This beautiful 120-year-old elevator is still functional and has been the only way for visitors and staff with limited mobility to travel between floors. Because the elevator can only be operated by trained staff members and does not accommodate modern wheelchairs and scooters, many of our visitors have been inconvenienced.

Within the next few weeks, construction on our Mansion Galleries Project will be substantially complete. This project—renovation of unrestored staff spaces in the mansion into six new galleries for a long-term exhibition on George Eastman—will substantially improve accessibility in the mansion.

A new user-operated elevator, located near the top of the Colonnade ramp, will enable all visitors to travel easily between the mansion’s first and second floors. The cost of constructing a new elevator shaft and purchasing and installing the elevator is about $400,000. We are deeply grateful to the Daisy Marquis Jones Foundation and the William & Sheila Konar Foundation for supporting this aspect of our project. There will also be two new lavatories (one accessible) on the first floor and three new lavatories (two accessible) on the second floor.

We recently commenced work on the major project to restore, and improve accessibility to, George Eastman’s historic Rock Garden (1907) and its grape arbor. The project includes new curb cuts, regrading sections of the paths, and re-setting all of the bricks in the paths. As a result, the Rock Garden will become accessible for all to enjoy.

We will soon begin designing the most ambitious project to make our three historic gardens accessible. The West Garden, located next to our parking lot, is currently accessible only via a seasonally installed metal ramp, which disrupts the aesthetics of the garden. While restoring the West Garden’s loggia, we will replace the metal ramp with a gently graded concrete rampway, concealed from the garden by shrubs.

The museum has $195,000 in grant funds from New York State for the West Garden restoration and accessibility project. We will soon begin efforts to raise several hundred thousand dollars to fully fund the project.

The determinedly independent Mrs. Eastman would be pleased with our progress.

Bruce Barnes, PhD

Ron and Donna Fielding Director

July/August 2025 Bulletin