Rochester Athenaeum and Mechanics' Association collection

The Rochester Athenaeum was established in 1829 with the "purpose of cultivating and promoting literature, science and the arts." To this end, the organization established a library and sponsored various guest speakers and performers. Still, by 1838 the Athenaeum had already merged with several institutes. Some organizations, like the Rochester Literary Company, it simply absorbed; others it merged with out of necessity. The result was that by 1838 the dominant organization in Rochester was the Rochester Athenaeum and Young Men's Association (RAYMA), headed by newspaper man Henry O'Reilly. In two short years, RAYMA had over 2,500 volumes in its collection and 409 members.

Unfortunately for RAYMA, O'Reilly left Rochester in 1842. RAYMA found itself competing for members with another Rochester institution, the Mechanics Literary Association. Formed in 1836 by William A. Reynolds, the Mechanics Literary Association was geared toward a younger audience. In 1847, the Mechanics Literary Association merged with RAYMA to form the Rochester Athenaeum and Mechanics' Association (RAMA), with Reynolds serving as its first president.

Reynolds's first order of business was to move RAMA's operations from State Street to a new location. To this end, he financed the construction of Corinthian Hall behind Reynolds Arcade, the original home of the Rochester Athenaeum. The building's construction sparked renewed enthusiasm in the organization so that soon RAMA had over 2,000 members. The hall not only housed RAMA's extensive library collection, but also hosted various lectures. Many of these lectures were given by notable individuals including Salmon P. Chase (politician), Charles Dickens (novelist), Frederick Douglas (social reformer), Ralph Waldo Emerson (writer), Horace Greeley (newspaper editor), and William H. Seward (politician).

Despite its initial success, RAMA eventually fell on hard times. With the opening of the West, Rochester's prosperity was slowing. Additionally, the cost of bringing in speakers was becoming increasingly expensive. In 1871, Reynolds was forced to sell Corinthian Hall. He provided RAMA with a new space in the back room of his bank, the Rochester Savings Bank. But, when Reynolds died in 1876, RAMA was forced to vacate the space. The financial situation of RAMA had become so dire that in 1877 creditors forced the sale of RAMA's library collection.

In 1891, RAMA was resurrected when it merged with the newly formed Mechanics Institute. The Rochester Athenaeum's initial charter from 1830 was updated to reflect its new name, the Rochester Athenaeum and Mechanics Institute. This organizational name lasted until 1944, when the name was again changed to the Rochester Institute of Technology.