Ossining's Museum In The Streets

Ossining’s Museum In The Streets©

By

Miguel Hernández

The “Museum In The Streets “(MITS) in the Village of Ossining is now open to the public. Its purpose is to raise awareness of the presence and importance of the architectural and historical assets of Ossining’s Downtown Historic District and to get people to visit it and to patronize its shops, restaurants and other businesses. However, MITS is more than an economic development tool. Like every museum it has an educational purpose. Additionally it is intended to foster healthy community pride as a concrete and visible example of a glorious past that points the way to a better future. It helps create “a sense of place”- an emotional and palpable attachment to a community that is special, memorable and worthy in the hearts and minds of residents and visitors alike.

The public may tour MITS at any time of the day or night of the week beginning at its starting point next to the Ossining Open Door Medical Office at 165 Main Street in Downtown Ossining. There they will find a large map with path they can follow to each exhibit.It is important to note that Museum In The Streets is:

· Not a building that requires heating, cooling, or any other kind of maintenance.

· Unstaffed and does not require annual fund drives to keep it going.

· Free and available to the public on a 24/7 basis.

· An educational, self-guided walking tour within the boundaries Ossining’s Downtown Historic District.

· An affirmation of the specialness of the community.

· A public document of the history and architecture of the community.

· A means of encouraging patronage of local businesses.

MITS consists of a series of (20’’ x 20’’ x 1/4" numbered panels with historical archival photos and explanatory text that are affixed to or placed in front of an existing or formally existing historic building or structure and briefly tells its story. The panels are made of a composite fiberglass material that is graffiti resistant and guaranteed to last at least 10 years. In addition to the individual panels, there is a larger centrally located master panel (47’’ x 64” x 3/8” ) that is the starting point of the tour and has map indicting the place where each of the panels is to allow tourist to complete a circuit of sites in a fairly short period of time

Eventually there will be an accompanying map/brochure that will be available at different stores and that will have a distinctive decal in the window which indicates the availability of the brochure and that business’ sponsorship of the Museum In the Streets. The placement of the descriptive brochures is of critical importance to the success of the Museum and to the sponsoring organizations because, they will be available at a multiple downtown locations and because the decal identifies the precise locations that have the brochures they encourages visitors to enter these locations and possibly patronize them. In essence, the Museum In Ossining’s The Streets attracts foot traffic while educating and entertaining the public and otherwise establishing Downtown Ossining’s bona-fides as a tourist destination..

The Museum In The Streets will be a new project for Ossining but several communities in the Northeastern US have them and there are many in Europe. Patrick Cardon created The Museum in the Streets© idea in 1996 and guides local communities across the globe thru the entire design and implementation process. The members of the Ossining Historic Preservation Commission who initiated and developed the Ossining MITS are: Joanne Tall (Chairwoman) Kaja Gam, Deborah VanSteen, Fred Roberts, Alan Stahl, Eric Schatz and Miguel Hernández. Each has a vocational interest or professional education and experience in the fields of history, architecture design and in the protection of Ossining’s cultural heritage.