Mission
The Hart Cluett Museum is operated by Historic Rensselaer County (Rensselaer County Historical Society), a dynamic not-for-profit educational organization established in 1927 to connect local history and heritage with contemporary life. We enrich the present and advocate for the future by bringing the region's past to life, recognizing every face and every story. In pursuit of this mission, we collect, preserve, study, interpret, and make accessible a broad variety of objects and documents. We also conduct educational programs that inspire public enthusiasm for our roots and bolster the entrepreneurial appetites of our community.
Organization
Historic Rensselaer County is a diverse community of people with a common intellectual engagement in the ideals, skills, and artifacts that form the roots of our region. Together we create spaces, host events, and promote ideas that cultivate a longstanding tradition of shared storytelling in Rensselaer County.
The home of the Hart Cluett Museum (HCM) is in the downtown Second Street Historic District in Troy, New York and is comprised of two adjacent 19th-century townhouses. The historic and architecturally significant Hart-Cluett House serves as an historic house museum. Next door, the Carr Building hosts exhibits, programs, and our extensive research library. In addition, our Carriage House holds a permanent gallery showcasing transportation, manufacturing, and other large objects from our collections.
For more information on the history of HCM, see:
A History of HCM: The documents
A History of HCM: The Growing collections
A History of HCM: The Acquisition of the Carr building
The Hart-Cluett House, left, and the Carr Building, right.