The City Reliquary Museum — Attraction in New York

One of the craziest museums lf NYC, definitely recommend a visit if you like weird stuff and collections of unusual items.

The entrance is only $10

From their website:

“The City Reliquary is a not-for-profit community museum and civic organization located in Williamsburgh, Brooklyn. Through permanent displays of New York City artifacts, rotating exhibits of community collections, and annual cultural events, The City Reliquary connects visitors to both the past and present of New York.

The museum began in 2002 as a window display in founder Dave Herman’s Williamsburgh apartment on the corner of Havemeyer and Grand Streets. Passersby who paused to admire the window’s contents would discover a small button on the building’s exterior. With a push of the button, a recording of Dave’s voice would guide them around the display: two-and-a-half links of a “city hall window chain,” a set of dentures found in Dead Horse Bay, Statue of Liberty figurines. On the building’s exterior, Dave carefully painted directions to nearby landmarks and subways. Orienting yourself toward the Williamsburg Bridge, which the directions note is 1.3 miles west, you face the heart of New York City.

DSCN2355In January 2006, The City Reliquary moved to 370 Metropolitan Avenue, a storefront only a few blocks from its original location. Its grand opening on April 1, 2006 featured a ribbon cutting by Marty Markowitz, who at the time was Brooklyn Borough President. The museum’s permanent collection includes Statue of Liberty postcards, terracotta fragments of landmark buildings, subway tokens, geological core samples, paint chips from the L train platform, a “very old shovel,” and countless other artifacts that tell unique stories of New York City’s past. Rotating exhibitions of community collections celebrate the archival work of New York collectors, and temporary exhibitions showcase vital, yet often overlooked stories of the city.

Every year, generous donations from patrons like you help us to continue developing our collections. As the museum grows, so does its programming. The City Reliquary hosts block parties, backyard concerts, and film screenings throughout the year. Major annual events include Collector’s Night, Bike Fetish Day, the Havemeyer Sugar Sweets Festival, and the Panorama Challenge hosted at the...

A great concept of a small-museum but as a New Yorker, nothing was really nostalgic for me. I will say, I learned a bit though! There’s a lot collected from NYs world fair, which I didn’t even know existed so looking into it was interesting. Also, the superwoman exhibit was cool - though my only commentary is that Margaret Sanger (highlighted for her womens rights work// planned parenthood) was actually very racist and her work was an extension of that. I wish she wasn’t highlighted as a queen without her truth being told. A simple good search will show that she was a practiced eugenics… as a black woman, not surprised to see history hold her up… i think that area can be improved, however, still a gem, and the owner + staff were very nice. I hear they have...

This unorthodox museum is not to be missed. Imagine combining the multiple hoarder collections of transcendentally specific NYC objects and antiquities with the vision of a curatorial maximalist. The docent, Amanda, was incredibly knowledgeable and made my experience at the city reliquary museum much more meaningful. Definitely speak with the docents when you visit! They know a little bit about everything there. I went on a beautiful late summer day and spent half an hour drinking my iced coffee and smoking a cigarette in the backyard exhibition space. Highly recommend spending some time in their...