Meyata Organization
About the Museum
Founded to preserve, study, and share the history of money — the most universal artifact of human civilization.
Our Mission
Preserving the Currency of History
The Meyata Organization was established with a singular conviction: that the history of money is the history of humanity. Every coin struck, every note printed, every ledger kept is a record of how people organized their lives, their societies, and their ambitions.
Our mission is to collect, conserve, and interpret the material culture of monetary history — making it accessible to scholars, enthusiasts, and the simply curious alike. We believe that understanding money's past is essential to navigating its future.
Scholarship
Every acquisition, exhibition, and publication is grounded in rigorous historical and numismatic research.
Accessibility
We design our programs and spaces to welcome visitors of all backgrounds, ages, and levels of prior knowledge.
Stewardship
We hold the collection in trust for future generations, applying the highest standards of conservation and care.
Our History
A Building with Its Own Story
The museum occupies a landmark 1902 Beaux-Arts building, originally constructed as the headquarters of the Meyata Continental Bank. For nearly a century, the building processed the financial transactions of a growing city — its vaults, teller halls, and boardrooms the stage for countless economic dramas.
When the bank closed in 1998, the Meyata Organization acquired the building and undertook a decade-long restoration. The museum opened in 2009, on the centenary of the Federal Reserve Act — a fitting moment to begin telling the story of American monetary history within walls that had lived it.
Building constructed as Meyata Continental Bank headquarters
Bank closes; Meyata Organization acquires the building
Restoration and conversion work begins
Museum opens to the public on the centenary of the Federal Reserve Act
Boutique Accommodations open on the second floor
Collection surpasses 2,000 artifacts; Digital Currency gallery inaugurated
Leadership
The People Behind the Collection
Dr. Edmund Hargrove
Executive Director
Dr. Hargrove joined the Meyata Organization in 2011 after fifteen years at the Smithsonian's National Numismatic Collection. He holds a doctorate in economic history from Yale and has published widely on the monetary systems of the ancient Mediterranean.
Dr. Priya Nair
Chief Curator
Dr. Nair oversees the museum's permanent collection and acquisition strategy. A specialist in South and Southeast Asian monetary history, she joined Meyata in 2015 from the British Museum, where she curated the Asian coinage collection.
Marcus Delacroix
Director of Programs & Education
Marcus leads the museum's public programming, school partnerships, and community outreach initiatives. Before joining Meyata in 2018, he directed education programs at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Press & Recognition
What They're Saying
One of the most intellectually stimulating museum experiences in the country. The Meyata collection is extraordinary, and the building itself is half the story.
The New York Times
A triumph of curatorial vision. The Currency Gallery alone is worth the journey.
The Economist
Meyata has done something rare — made economic history genuinely thrilling.
Smithsonian Magazine
Come See
For Yourself
The collection is open Tuesday through Sunday. Plan your visit or become a member to support the work.