Children's Museum

Central New York's only Children's Museum is permanently chartered by the Board of Regents of New York State. We are located in the historic Main Street district of downtown Utica between majestic Union Station and Bagg's Square Memorial Park. The location, near the ancient fording place of the Mohawk River and the sites of Old Forts Schuyler and Stanwix, houses the only permanent exhibit of the history and origins of the Mohawk Valley.

History: One of the oldest children's museum's in the country, we were organized in the October of 1963 by the Junior League. Originally called the Junior Museum of Oneida County, our museum began in the basement of the Utica Public Library. The museum consisted of one exhibit, an Iroquois Longhouse which we still exhibit. The idea of a museum for area children caught on quickly and the museum started to grow.

In October 1965, due to lack of space at the library, it moved to the former Department of Parks & Recreation Building at the Southeast corner of the Memorial Parkway and Oneida Street. In its nine year stay there, the museum developed a variety of permanent exhibits and a large range of educational programs. Interest increased steadily so that by 1974 more than 21,000 adults and children were participating. November of 1974 saw the museum move to the upstairs of the Valley View Country Club. This new location provided badly needed space for the many exhibits, storage, and gift shop. In 1975, the name of the organization was changed to Mohawk Valley Museum.

Forty years later, in July of 1979, the museum was again relocated, this time to its current location in the historic Bagg's Square area. The former John C. Heiber Dry Goods Building, at 311 Main Street, Utica, NY was purchased for $35,000 by borrowing that sum from the Oneida National Bank and Trust Company of Central New York. At this time, the name of the organization was changed to The Children's Museum of History, Natural History, and Science. The five story brick building, constructed at the turn of the century, once drew visitors who came on the train from as far away as Albany and Syracuse to shop for dry goods. The interesting Romanesque Revival exterior remains as imposing as ever, and the charm of the period remains inside with its decoratively paneled central oak staircase, an original glass and wood paneled office, and fourteen foot high ceiling sheathed in fancy pressed tin. For years, three of the five floors, each floor approximately 6,000 square feet, were used for exhibit and program areas.

In 2002, the mortgage on the building was paid off, the fourth floor was opened, and the name was changed to The Children's Museum of History, Natural History, Science, and Technology. One of the oldest children's museums in the country, in 2002 The Children's Museum became the only museum in the country to be adopted by NASA – National Aeronautic & Space Administration & DOE OS – Dept. of Energy's Office of Science).

The Museum is a hands-on learning center with emphasis on local history, environmental science, the arts, and

space science. Our Educational Enrichment Programs enhance learning for children of all ages. Four floors encompassing a total of 24,000 square feet of exhibition space, the Museum is located in the former Hieber Dry Goods Building at 311 Main Street, Utica. Exhibitions include Playspace, a unique larger than life wooden train activity center for children age 5 and younger; Exploration Station a play village with numerous stores to explore for younger children; the Dinorama, a multimedia display of dinosaur models and fossils; the Diorama, a multimedia display of the history of Central New York; a reconstruction of an Iroquois Longhouse; the Living Science Learning Center which houses live animal and insect displays, the Weather Room which features Doppler Radar programs, plus several other interactive exhibits including musical instruments and our Saturn car.

Our 4th floor features exhibits on "Transportation Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow". This new addition to an already great children's museum features Utica Fire Department artifacts & an old fire engine, Utica Police Department artifacts & exhibits kids can explore, and the original Amtrak railway switching station. And we have a 17 foot airplane the kids can actually climb into and pretend to fly! Thanks to Congressman Sherwood Boehlert, NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe, and Dept. of Energy's Office of Science Director Raymond Orbach, we have several really cool space & science exhibits! Become a corporate sponsor and help sponsor our continued growth!

The Museum also has an outdoor display of real trains including an Adirondack Railroad Engine, a Dining Car, a Caboose and a Steam Engine, Old 6721, which was recently acquired by the National Railway Historic Society and is on display at a nearby track in the Union Station Yard at the Rear of the Museum. The Museum does educational programs for local school groups throughout the three county area that it serves. A collaboration between the Children's Museum, PRI (Paleontologial Research Institution) in Ithaca, and the MOST in Syracuse makes Education Programs in Earth Science, Fossils and Dinosaurs available to the Mohawk Valley area. The Museum is the Utica site of the Erie Canal Schoolboat and collaborates with the Railway Association.

The Museum hosts birthday parties in the newly renovated Birthday Community Room. The Museum also hosts Corporate and Association meetings in the Community Room and on our 2nd floor stage. Public sculpture done for and by children is sited in Bagg's Square Park, which has become an outdoor Learning Annex to the Museum with programs in History and the Environment. The Museum is totally accessible to persons with disabilities, has a ramp and an elevator to accommodate the needs of visitors.

 

For complete information and Museum Hours, Admission and Group Rates please check the museum website at www.UticaCM.org

Contact Info:

Elizabeth Slocum Brando, Executive Director
Utica Children's Museum
311 Main Street
Utica, NY 13511
Tel: 315-724-6129
Email: Director: ebrando@UticaCM.org