Many in Auburn are familiar with the story of Theodore Case and the Case Research Lab. At the turn of the 20th century, the wealthy inventor converted his Genesee St. property’s greenhouse into a working laboratory, where many innovations were birthed, including the first commercially successful process of synchronized sound film. This process gave Hollywood its voice, and throughout the 1920’s this Auburn backyard was at the forefront of a brand-new world, one where moving pictures could speak, sing, and shout. Musical acts, Vaudeville performers, politicians, advocates, scientists: all these and more came to Auburn as some of the earliest test subjects and pioneers in sound film. Today, the home, laboratory, and carriage house are all part of the Cayuga Museum of History & Art, and on top of their work in promoting local history and art, the museum also preserves the site and story of this birthplace of sound film.
Since 1994 the Laboratory has been open for tours, and with each successive year the Cayuga Museum has adapted the tour in different ways to better share the story of the Case Research Lab. Why is Ted Case still such an obscure figure on the national stage? Who was Lee DeForest, and why is he given so much credit for creating sound film instead of Case? What was Fox-Case Movietone and how did they bring the first sound motion picture to the public? All these questions and more will be answered when you take a tour of the Case Research Laboratory. The museum guarantees that all visitors, new and returning, will see something they haven’t before.
Visitors have the option of taking a tour with one of the Museum’s experienced guides or exploring the Laboratory on their own. As well as learning about the stories and the technology in making sound film possible, visitors will also see some of the very earliest sound films in existence, all created here in Auburn! In 2022, the Museum will celebrate the 100th anniversary of sound film, so come see for yourself how this world changing creation was introduced from a backyard laboratory. Explore the Laboratory a little further at https://cayugamuseum.org/case-research-lab/.
The Cayuga Museum is open to the public by reservation only from Wednesday-Saturday from 11AM-4PM, with tours of the Case Research Lab held on the hour at 11, 12, 1, and 2. Admission for the museum and the Laboratory is $10 for general admission, $8 for seniors and military personnel, $5 for students with valid IDs, and free entry for children 12 and under and all Museum members. To make a reservation, visit the museum webpage at https://cayugamuseum.org/visit-us/ or contact the museum at 315-253-8051 or geoffrey@cayugamuseum.org . The Cayuga Museum is located at 203 Genesee St. in Auburn, NY. Free parking is available in a lot behind the Museum off of Washington Street, or in front of the Museum on Genesee Street (the lot is more accessible for visitors to the Case Research Laboratory).
