Heritage Hall is Mayo Clinic’s museum and welcome center, set in the Mathews Grand Lobby at street level of the Mayo Building. It uses artifacts, interactive displays and multimedia presentations to connect Mayo’s past to its present work and to show how philanthropy supports patient care, education and research. It is open Monday to Friday during business hours, closed on Mayo Clinic holidays, and the clinic states that it cannot open Heritage Hall to the general public or to groups that are not sponsored by Mayo Clinic. In practice that means it is available to patients and their companions, staff and Mayo-sponsored guests, and a virtual tour online lets everyone else see the highlights. The same campus is also a gallery. The tourism board describes a volunteer-led art tour of the Mayo, Gonda and Siebens buildings that runs on weekday afternoons and lasts about an hour, with a Dale Chihuly glass installation in the Gonda building among the highlights, and the grounds include the bronze My Brother and I sculpture in Feith Family Statuary Park. If you are in town for care, these exhibits turn waiting time into something memorable.
Planning
Access rules matter here. Heritage Hall is not a general public attraction, so confirm that you qualify before you walk over, and use the virtual tour if you do not. Hours are weekday only, usually 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Rochester. The art tour is described as starting at 2 p.
m. Monday to Friday with no reservation, but check at the information desk or on the tourism board page for the current meeting point and schedule. Wear comfortable shoes, because the campus is large and includes skyways, subway-level corridors and plaza spaces. Mayo Clinic is a working hospital, so keep voices low and respect patient privacy.
What to expect
Heritage Hall blends historical objects with touchscreens and short films, so you can spend 20 minutes or an hour depending on your interest. The art tour moves through lobbies and public spaces, with volunteers explaining paintings, sculpture and glass and the ideas behind placing art in a medical setting. The Chihuly glass in the Gonda building draws the most attention and photographs well. The atmosphere is calm and unhurried, and many visitors say the art softens the intensity of a hospital visit.
Making the most of it
Pair the visit with the Plummer Building exterior and carillon, then walk to Peace Plaza and the Rochester Art Center for more contemporary work. Patients and companions can use the free time between appointments for the art tour, while visitors without an appointment can enjoy the public sculpture in the statuary park and along downtown ARTWalk. Take a campus map and ask volunteers for their favorite piece; they usually have strong opinions and good stories.
Good to know
Heritage Hall doubles as a welcome center, so the staff and volunteers there can usually help with directions around the campus, and they are the best people to ask about current exhibits. The museum is organized around the idea that history and current practice belong together, so you will see old instruments beside modern research stories.
Companions waiting during long appointments often find the art tour more rewarding than they expected, because the pieces are placed in lobbies and corridors where people spend real time. If you are not a patient, the public sculpture, the statuary park and downtown ARTWalk provide a free alternative, and the Rochester Art Center a few blocks away offers rotating contemporary exhibitions.
What to expect
The experience
An interactive history exhibit for patients and sponsored guests, plus a volunteer-led art tour of the Mayo campus.
Best time
Weekdays during business hours.
How long
30 minutes to 90 minutes.
Tips
Confirm you qualify for Heritage Hall and check the art tour meeting point at the information desk.
Quick picks
- Best for
- Patients, companions and Mayo-sponsored guests who want to understand the institution.
- Families
- Older children may enjoy the interactive displays, but this is a hospital environment.
- Couples
- A quiet, thoughtful way to fill time between appointments.
- Pair with
- The Plummer Building, Peace Plaza and the Rochester Art Center.
- Time needed
- One to two hours.
Good questions
Is Heritage Hall open to the public?+
Mayo Clinic says it cannot open Heritage Hall to the general public or groups that are not sponsored by Mayo Clinic. It is open to patients, companions, staff and sponsored guests.
Where is Heritage Hall in Rochester?+
It is in the Mathews Grand Lobby at street level of the Mayo Building.
What are the opening hours?+
The Rochester location is open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and closed on Mayo Clinic holidays.
Is there a way to see it without visiting?+
Yes. Mayo Clinic offers a virtual tour of the Rochester Heritage Hall online.
Is there an art tour?+
The tourism board describes a volunteer-led art tour of the Mayo, Gonda and Siebens buildings on weekday afternoons, lasting about an hour.