The City Reliquary facts for kids
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| Established | 2002 |
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| Location | 370 Metropolitan Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, 11211 |
| Type | Local museum |
| Public transit access |
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The City Reliquary is a special museum in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York. It is a not-for-profit organization. This means it uses any money it earns to help the museum grow.
The museum shows the history of New York City's five main areas, called boroughs. It does this by displaying old items and cultural objects. Besides its main collection, the City Reliquary also has changing exhibits. It also hosts fun cultural events every year.
How the Museum Started
The City Reliquary began in 2002. A person named Dave Herman started it. He put interesting objects in the windows of his apartment. His apartment was on the ground floor in Williamsburg.
People walking by were very interested in the unique items. These items were local artifacts, like old everyday things. People started giving or lending their own "relics" to Dave. A relic is an old object that has special meaning. They wanted to share their items with others in New York.
As more items were collected, Dave moved the museum. It moved to a new spot on Metropolitan Avenue. The new museum opened on April 1, 2006. There was a special ribbon-cutting ceremony. The Brooklyn Borough President, Marty Markowitz, also read a special announcement. He was the Borough President from 2002 to 2013.
What You Can See Inside
The City Reliquary has many items in its main collection. These items are connected to New York's history. For example, there is a special display about Jackie Robinson and the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team. You can also see souvenirs from the 1939–40 and 1964–65 New York World's Fairs.
There is also an interactive display about Little Egypt. She was a famous dancer in the 1800s. Dave Herman's collection of Statue of Liberty figures is also on display. This collection was the very first part of the museum.
Another important item is the rope that held a mourning drape. This drape was on the New York City Hall balcony. It was placed there after the September 11 attacks. Other items are just everyday objects. These include old false teeth found at Dead Horse Bay. There is also a "very old shovel" and old neon signs from restaurants.
Special Exhibitions and Community Displays
Besides the main collection, the City Reliquary also has temporary exhibits. These exhibits change over time. They might include film showings, workshops, or talks by experts. These events help explain the topic of each exhibit.
Past exhibits have covered different topics. These include New York's history during the first half of the 1900s. Other exhibits showed old shop signs from Metropolitan Avenue. Some even explored how New York City donut shops helped make donuts popular across the country.
The museum also shows items loaned by people in the community. This is in a special area called Community Collections. In the past, this area has shown unicorn figures. It has also displayed argyle socks. One fun display was a "chicken museum" put together by a six-year-old boy and his dad.
