Medina Triennial Sites
Medina Triennial Hub
The Medina Triennial Hub occupies one of Main Street’s most layered historic buildings. First built in 1835, the structure originally housed a grocery, insurance office, bank, and Masonic lodge. Known as Fairman’s Arcade, it burned and was rebuilt several times. In the 1870’s it became a hotel, a landmark sandstone building with a 60-foot clock tower and mansard roof. After another fire in 1923, it was converted into an auto parts machine shop which was in operation for nearly a hundred years. Today the building serves as the Triennial Hub, a space for visitors to gather, learn about the Triennial, and attend public programs—the Triennial’s “living room.” It will also host Reflection (2026), a major new Triennial commission by artist Asad Raza.
Erie Canal
The Erie Canal runs through the center of Medina and forms the historic backbone of the town. Completed in 1825, the canal connected the Great Lakes to the Hudson River and New York City, reshaping trade and transportation across the United States. Canal towns such as Medina grew rapidly as hubs for agriculture and industry. Today, the canal remains an active waterway and a defining feature of the region’s landscape. Mary Mattingly’s Triennial commission Floating Garden (2026) will be moored along the Erie Canal for the duration of the Triennial.
Historic Medina High School
Built in 1926 on Catherine Street, the former Medina High School serves as the main exhibition site of the Medina Triennial. The 100,000-square-foot building educated generations of local students until the 1990s. Its expansive windows and wide corridors reflect the new civic architecture of early twentieth-century public education. For the Triennial, the building serves as the main exhibition site, presenting works by more than 25 artists, including works by Ash Arder, Tania Candiani, Matt Kenyon, and Kärt Ojavee.
Medina Railroad Museum Grounds
The Medina Railroad Museum occupies the former New York Central freight depot, built between 1905 and 1906. At 301 feet long, it is one of the largest surviving wooden freight depots in the United States. Today, the museum houses more than 10,000 objects documenting railroad and local history. The site reflects the region’s industrial and economic history and will host two installations in collaboration with the museum as part of the Triennial.
Medina Memorial Hospital
Medina Memorial Hospital was built in 1925 and has been expanded four times. Its glass-and-metal entrance corridor will host a site-specific Triennial installation.
Rotary Park
Rotary Park sits at the apex of Medina’s Main Street near the historic canal district and will host a Triennial installation.
State Street Park
State Street Park overlooks the Erie Canal and Oak Orchard Creek. The land was once the estate of Congressperson Silas M. Burroughs. His son, also named Silas M. Burroughs, was born there and later co-founded the pharmaceutical company Burroughs Wellcome & Co., whose legacy helped create the U.K.’s Wellcome Trust, now one of the world’s largest global health charities. The park will host a public work for the Triennial.
Sacred Heart Church
Sacred Heart Church was built in the early twentieth century by the Diocese of Buffalo to serve Medina’s Polish immigrant community. For decades, the church and its parish school provided religious, educational, and social services for local families. The building reflects the cultural life of immigrant communities that helped shape Medina’s identity and will host several Triennial installations within its pared-back architecture.
