Williamsburg’s Museum of Natural and Unnatural History
By Amanda Becker
Dave Herman didn’t set out to be a museum curator. But when the Brooklyn City Reliquary expands to a full-fledged museum space on 370 Metropolitan Avenue next month, the native Floridian will become just that.
“When I first came to New York I went into an intense study process and read historical and architectural books to become a licensed tour guide,” Herman says. “It was also a time when Williamsburg was really expanding and people would always stop and ask me for directions. Then I got the idea to paint the directions on my apartment from a newsstand on the corner of Bowery and Canal.”
The City Reliquary began when Herman painted directions to neighborhood landmarks on the façade of his apartment on Havemeyer and Grand Street. When he noticed the attention the directions were getting, he thought to add themed window displays of his found objects. Soon it was a rotating display of objects both donated and loaned to the cause – postcards, letters, subway tokens, old keys, even parts of bridges and buildings started finding their way to Herman’s place.
Herman, an art school graduate, originally started out collecting baseball cards and other childhood memorabilia. Family members took note of his penchant for preservation and began to encourage his hobby.
“My parents and grandparents knew that I enjoyed collecting and would give me items like their book from the world fair or old subway tokens,” he explains. Both sides of his family were from New York and many of the items in his collection reflected New York’s history.
“The part of the reliquary I feel is most personal is the Statue of Liberty Collection,” he states. “The statue has always been a significant icon for me. As a kid I came to visit during the centennial and continued to build on the collection I started then.”
“Collecting is inherent in everybody,” Herman reflects. “The neighborhood has changed drastically in the last few years. I wanted to turn that into a positive thing and give people a place to revere the history of the city and feel a connection to the past.”
The Reliquary also became actively involved in the community, sponsored gatherings, street fairs and an essay contest for area children. But the space on Havemeyer and Grand was becoming too small as the years went by.
“Sometimes people would approach us with items the nine inch window sills just couldn’t accommodate,” says Herman. “I knew it would be great to have a space where we could invite people in, to have classes and slide lectures without having to find a venue.”
In January, Herman realized his wish. A core group of reliquary supporters had begun the steps to become an incorporated non-profit when they found out a space was opening up on Metropolitan Avenue, around the corner from the original window location. After a short negotiation with the landlord, the volunteer staff of the reliquary began moving in just after the New Year.
In the upcoming months Herman hopes to free up more time to spend at the reliquary by taking a new job – he has been on the list to become a firefighter for some time now. The long 48-hour shifts allow a more flexible schedule. “As a kid, and even as a teenager, I wanted to be a firefighter, but then I went to art school. Now I’ve come full circle.”
Visitors can peruse the reliquary’s collection of area memorabilia at the Metropolitan Avenue location when it opens in mid March.
“Collections have evolved and are now digital and virtual,” Herman states. “That’s why it was so important to find a place to really present the objects in this manner, to focus on actual tangible items that people can make a connection with.”
