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. It is a non-profit organization, which means it's not run for money. This museum shows the history of New York City's five boroughs. It does this with cool exhibitions of cultural items and old objects. Besides its main display of New York City artifacts, 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. Its founder, Dave Herman, started by showing objects in his apartment windows. His apartment was on the ground floor in Williamsburg. People walking by loved seeing the unique collection of local items. Dave Herman started getting donations and loans from others. People wanted to share their own "relics" or old treasures. They wanted to share them with the New York community. As the collection grew, Dave moved it to a new spot. The new museum opened on April 1, 2006. There was a special ribbon-cutting ceremony. The Brooklyn Borough President, Marty Markowitz, read a special message.
What You Can See
Permanent Displays
Many items in the City Reliquary's main collection are linked to New York's history. For example, there is a special display for Jackie Robinson and the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team. You can also see items from the 1939–40 and 1964–65 New York World's Fairs. There is an interactive display about Little Egypt. She was a famous dancer from 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. You can also see the rope that held a special drape. This drape was on the New York City Hall balcony 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
Besides the main collection, the City Reliquary has temporary exhibits. These exhibits change often. The museum also hosts film series, workshops, and talks by curators. These events match the theme of each exhibit. Past exhibits have shown stories about historical figures in New York. Other exhibits have featured old shop signs from Metropolitan Avenue. They have also shown how New York City donut shops helped make donuts popular. The City Reliquary also displays objects loaned by people in the community. These are in its Community Collections space. Past displays have included unicorn figures and argyle socks. One display was a "chicken museum" put together by a six-year-old boy and his dad.
