Civic Center
2 Park Street PO Box 5168
Potsdam, NY 13676-5168
(315) 265-6910

The Museum

The Potsdam Public Museum, founded in 1940, is dedicated to the collection, preservation and interpretation of local history and art. The Museum  is a department of the Village of Potsdam, with policy governed by an independent board of trustees. Its extensive collections span the history of the Village and include 18th-20th Century decorative arts collected by area residents.



The museum was built in 1876 as the First Universalist Church, and served as the Potsdam Public Library, with the museum in the lower level, from 1940 until 1976. Today it houses the exhibit galleries, archives, education facilities, work rooms and storage areas of the Museum. Since 1933, the building has been part of the Civic Center, together with an auditorium (now the library) and the municipal offices which were built, using Potsdam sandstone, as a WPA project.