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.

Roberson's vision to be a nationally recognized museum for the study and interpretation of history, art and science was realized when, in 1966, Roberson commissioned the world-renowned architect, Richard Neutra to design a major addition.

This addition, also known as the Martin Wing after Roberson's first Director, Keith Martin, houses several galleries, administrative offices and the region's only Planetarium.

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.

In 1994, the mansion and annex across the street from the Roberson Mansion was acquired by Roberson through a Decker Foundation grant to preserve the facility and is now called the Decker Arts and Cultural Center.

Roberson offers unique museum and education resources in the Southern Tier of New York that are unmatched in the region.

Funding for Roberson is provided, in part, by general operating support grants from the United Cultural Fund, a program of the Broome County Arts Council, the Conrad and Virginia Klee Foundation and the New York State Council on the Arts.