We are proud to note that as of April 1, 2006, the City Reliquary has opened an actual, enterable museum. 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

Located at 370 Metropolitan Avenue in Williamsburgh, Brooklyn, The City Reliquary Museum & Civic Organization provides a wide array of services to the community. As a certified 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, we are committed to serving the people of New York City – natives, newcomers, and passersby. Our museum collection displays thoughtfully arranged artifacts of New York City’s rich history, which entice viewers to learn more about the five boroughs. Some of the highlights of the collection include architectural remnants of city buildings, Statue of Liberty memorabilia, a geological display of New York’s underground composition, and a 1939 World’s Fair exhibit. The City Reliquary also celebrates local character by displaying the unique findings of New York-based collectors. Our “Community Collections” storefront window has proudly displayed collections such as, Fionula Ross’s Vintage Thermoses, Christy Gast’s Commemorative Presidential Plates, and the Zucker Family’s Antique Pens. A central part of our mission is to plan and host public events, which provide neighbors and visitors with a place to meet, exchange ideas, and celebrate the diversity of our community. Some of our annual events include Bicycle Fetish Day, Collector’s Night, and The September Tribute to Our City. We maintain a commitment to neighborhood beautification and restoration at and around the City Reliquary Museum as a way to provide a pleasant and safe place for people to gather, relax, disseminate information, and enjoy the camaraderie provided by a city of over eight million people.

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.