We are proud to note that as of April 1, 2006, the City Reliquary has opened an actual, enterable museum-type space. We maintain the famed original Grand Street window display, but now our Community Collections and many other exhibits are available for your viewing pleasure just a few blocks away at 370 Metropolitan Ave.
Museum and Civic Organization
"For the People – Not for Profit"
Mission Statement
"For the People" – The City Reliquary Museum aims to be a service for the people of New York City – natives, newcomers, and passersby.
"Relics of the City" – Displayed artifacts include the odd and intriguing among many diverse objects which, through their thoughtful arrangement, entice passersby to learn more about the rich history of the area.
"Community Collections" – A changing display features other collectors’ findings. This area gives viewers a glimpse into the interests and often obsessions of fellow New Yorkers. It also emphasizes the importance of the collecting and preserving processes. Diverse displays attract diverse audiences.
"Community Events" – Sidewalk receptions celebrate new displays and offer people of the neighborhood a chance to know one another better. Larger events are organized at local venues with themes that correspond to the City Reliquary mission. A lack of commercial sponsorship and intimidating organizations provide an environment of optimism fueled by the goodwill of the participants.
"Meet me at…"– Neighborhood beautification and restoration at and around the City Reliquary Museum seeks to provide a pleasant and safe place for people to gather, relax, disseminate information, and enjoy the comradery provided by a city of over eight million people.
Our original location on the corner of Havemeyer & Grand Sts. in beautiful Williamsburg, Brooklyn N.Y.C.
By Vice President of Operations George Ferrandi
The City Reliquary has the distinction of being a window museum. People in the community pass it daily on their way to and from the subway, the grocery, or the coffee shop, or they stumble across it when they're walking home from work via a different route. It is either an integrated part of their daily landscape, or a personal discovery. In either case, passersby are offered a kind of ownership that major institutions strive for in their public relations campaigns, but rarely achieve. We aim to be a humble but effective hub, of many sorts - historical, cultural, and social. We offer historical displays of modest ephemera - bits of bridges, old postcards, etc. We organize events - Collector's Night, Bike Fetish Day, September 11 Memorials, Bike Rides, Writing Contests. We've also started a community mini-garden movement in old bathtubs in front of our windows, and we broadcast a monthly radio show through a local internet station. We post neighborhood-related political information, and in general act as "the water cooler" of the neighborhood.
