After being shown in other parts of America, they were donated to St. Mary's Romanian Orthodox Cathedral. The next wave of objets d'art came to St. Mary's as a result of Romania's participation in the World's Fair of 1939 with a Romanian Pavilion and Romanian House. At the outbreak of World War II, the World's Fair was closing, and the Romanians gave up dismantling the Pavilion and left much of the contents in America. Materials from the Romanian Pavilion and House were used to build the present St. Mary's Romanian Orthodox Cathedral, and the artifacts were stored away to be housed in a permanent museum. Today, the museum is still housed in the church hall, but George Dobrea, the museum's president, hopes to build a museum separate from the church.
Religious icons make up some of the museum's most valuable pieces.
Some of them date back to the 17th century, and they must be housed in a temperature and humidity controlled environment to be preserved. Paintings by famous Romanian artists, ceramics, rugs, silverware and even a miniature peasant home with a hearth are also displayed in one of the rooms. The Romanian Ethnic Art Museum is open by appointment only. Guided tours are available.