Utica Children's Museum facts for kids
| Established | 1 August 1963 |
|---|---|
| Location | Utica, New York |
| Type | Children's museum |
The Utica Children's Museum is a fun place for kids and families in Utica, New York. It's a special kind of museum designed just for children. The museum closed its old spot in downtown Utica in 2020. This happened when the COVID-19 pandemic began. A brand new museum building is being built. It is located along Utica's Memorial Parkway. The museum hopes to open its doors there in 2024.
Contents
Museum's Journey: A Look Back
The Utica Children's Museum started a long time ago. It was founded on August 1, 1963. A group called the Utica Junior League helped create it.
Early Beginnings and First Home
When it first opened, the museum had a different name. It was called the "Junior Museum of Oneida County." Its very first home was in the basement of the Utica Public Library. Back then, it only had one exhibit. This exhibit was a copy of an Iroquois longhouse. A longhouse is a traditional home used by the Iroquois people.
Moving and Changing Names
The museum soon needed more space.
- In 1965, it moved to a building in Roscoe Conkling Park. This building used to be for the city's Parks department. The museum stayed there for nine years.
- In 1974, it moved again within Roscoe Conkling Park. This time, it went to the top floor of the Valley View golf course.
- In 1975, the museum changed its name. It became known as the Mohawk Valley Museum.
A Long Stay Downtown
In 1979, the museum found a new home. It moved into the John C. Hieber Building downtown. This building became its home for many years, until 2020.
- At first, the museum used the first floor and half of the second floor.
- Soon, it grew bigger and took over three floors.
- In 2002, a fourth floor was opened. This was made possible with help from NASA and the Office of Science.
- The Junior League of Utica, the group that started the museum, stopped operating in 2006.
- In 2017, a local group called Kids Oneida started helping manage the museum. Kids Oneida later changed its name to ICAN in 2019.
A New Chapter and Future Plans
In March 2020, ICAN announced exciting news. The museum would be moving to a brand new building! This new spot is on the Memorial Parkway. It used to be the offices for the Utica City School District.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused the old museum to close earlier than planned. But the museum didn't stop helping kids learn!
- During the pandemic, they offered online programs.
- They also had a special van called the "Mobile Museum." This van was like a bookmobile and visited different places.
- Construction on the new building began in October 2021.
- Everyone is looking forward to the museum reopening in 2024!
