The City Reliquary Museum

The City Reliquary Museum began in two thousand two as a simple window display in a ground-floor apartment on the corner of Havemeyer and Grand Streets. Founder Dave Herman arranged his personal collection of New York City mementos, such as Statue of Liberty figurines and subway tokens, behind the glass for passersby to admire. He even installed a small button on the building's exterior that, when pressed, played an audio recording guiding visitors through the display. This humble arrangement turned the sidewalk into a space for public connection, eventually outgrowing the apartment window and moving into its current storefront on Metropolitan Avenue in two thousand six.