The Liberty Museum & Arts Center Building was first constructed as a hotel in 1894. The Poellman House, as the hotel was known, contained 30 rooms with baths, steam heat, all "sanitary arrangements" and a first class Café and Bowling Alley. The hotel closed in 1936.
After the closing of the hotel, the property was acquired by Sidney Pierson who, with his brother, conducted a large hardware store in the building.
This hardware store was to be owned, operated and enlarged by three owners. The last owners stayed there until moving to a large stand-alone building on Route 52, the present site of the Trading Post hardware store.
Katz's Bake shop was the next business to take over the building which was converted into a first class bakery. The bakery also had stores in Monticello and was to become a "destination" for many a resident - especially the summer residents who flocked to the Catskills to escape the "NY heat". Katz's had their grand opening on April 11, 1969 and remained in business until 1989.
The building was acquired by The Liberty Chamber of Commerce in 1995 as part of the redevelopment plan for Main Street, Liberty and as a home for a museum and arts center.
Please stop in and visit the beautifully renovated historic building. The Center has been collecting and exhibiting items of historical interest, as well aspromoting educational activities such as art classes, lectures, cultural programs, and programs designed for children. Memberships are encouraged. - Delbert Van Etten
