The City of Rochester Celebrates Preservation Month
May 22, 2025 – ROCHESTER, MINN. – The City of Rochester celebrates the people who work to preserve our community’s history during Preservation Month. Historic placesavers pour their time, energy and resources into protecting the places they care about. This year’s national theme honors the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence by spotlighting the places that bring its most powerful promise to life: that all people are created equal. Preservation Month 2026 invites communities across the country to celebrate the historic sites, neighborhoods and landmarks that tell the full American story; places that remind us how far we’ve come and how far we still have to go.
New this year, the Heritage Preservation Commission is launching an annual awards program to recognize outstanding local efforts in preserving Rochester’s history. The awards are designed to highlight individuals, organizations and projects that demonstrate meaningful contributions to safeguarding our community’s cultural and architectural heritage. This new program supports the HPC’s mission to provide educational opportunities and to honor the diverse histories and stories that make up the City’s rich heritage.
City Administrator Alison Zelms shares, “Preservation is about more than protecting buildings. It is about honoring the people, places, and stories that have shaped Rochester and continue to shape who we are becoming. As a growing and changing city, we have a responsibility to carry our history forward in ways that are inclusive, honest, and connected to our future. I am grateful to the Heritage Preservation Commission and to the many community members who help ensure Rochester’s diverse stories remain visible, valued, and part of the foundation we build on together.”
The Rochester Heritage Preservation Commission, created in 2013, is charged with facilitating the preservation of Rochester’s heritage. Its purposes are to:
-
Safeguard the City’s heritage by encouraging the preservation of properties that reflect cultural, social, economic, political, visual or architectural history
-
Enhance the City’s appeal to residents and visitors by promoting its unique historical character
-
Strengthen Rochester’s visual and aesthetic character through attention to historic properties
-
Foster civic pride in the community’s past achievements
-
Promote the preservation and continued use of historic properties for public education and welfare
-
Support the environmental benefits of adapting and reusing buildings
-
Provide educational opportunities, serve in an advisory capacity and reflect the diverse histories that make up Rochester’s heritage
To recognize Preservation Month, the City Hall dome lights will shine maroon on Wednesday, May 27.
Preservation Month is a moment to celebrate the places that spark joy, inspire wonder, and connect communities to our shared history. This year, we invite residents to reflect on and share the historic sites that tell our story; places that continue to shape our community as part of America’s 250year journey toward a more perfect union.
Contact Us
Connect with City Services
Whether you have a question, need to report a concern or aren’t sure which department to contact, 311 connects you with the right team quickly and efficiently.