Roberson is our community's premier institution for art, science, and cultural education, with an emphasis on community and education. Roberson provides permanent facilities and changing gallery exhibitions for art, scienfce, and local history. Roberson welcomes people of all ages and backgrounds and seeks to excite and enrich through creative and interactive experiences that lead to a greater understanding of ourselves, our neighbors, our world, and our universe.
Roberson Memorial, Inc. was established by the will of Alonzo Roberson in 1934 to create an "educational center .for the use and benefit of all people." The Roberson Memorial Center (as first called) opened to the public in 1954 in the Roberson Mansion. At that time, the Binghamton Museum of Fine Arts transferred its collections to Roberson. An addition in 1966 provided galleries, a theatre, the Link Planetarium, and offices. The A. Ward Ford wing, added in 1984, houses modern vaults and collections preparation space, and now holds the Decker Life Science Center. Roberson became accredited under the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC) in the 1980's.
In 1996, the Roberson Mansion's carriage house was renovated as a multipurpose educational center, complete with Clayworks, a modern pottery studio. Also, a New York State Heritage Area Visitor Center addition, owned by the city but operated in partnership with Roberson, was built.