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After years of frustration, the future suddenly looks bright for the Palo Alto History Museum.
The museum, which today only exists as a concept, moved closer to reality on Monday night, when the City Council approved the transfer of $667,000 toward the long-awaited project. The council’s unanimous vote followed a successful fundraising drive by the nonprofit Palo Alto History Museum, which received more than $1.8 million between Dec. 12, 2017 and last Friday. Altogether, the museum has raised more than $12.7 million over 12 years.
By raising more than $1.75 million in the past year, the nonprofit met the city’s “challenge” and became eligible for a $665,000 grant through the city’s “transfer of development rights” program, which encourages rehabilitating historical buildings. The museum plans to restore and occupy the Roth Building at 300 Homer Ave.
In addition, the project could be eligible for two new Santa Clara County grant programs, one of which supports “historical heritage” sites and another one that supports historical recognition for Santa Clara County women. Each program has $5 million in funding available for countywide distribution.
Joe Simitian, president of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, suggested Monday that the history museum could benefit from both of these programs.
“I think it fits well with what the history museum is doing,” Simitian told the council on Monday during a joint session with the council, in reference to the “historic heritage” grant.
Even with these new funding sources and opportunities, the project still has a long way to go. The museum needs about $20 million, which includes $9.2 million for construction, $8.8 million for museum installations and $2 million for initial operations, said Laura Bajuk, the museum’s executive director.
“Our goal is to create and operate a world-class community museum,” Bajuk told the council.
The council cheered the nonprofit’s recent progress on a project that had frustrated city officials for much of the past decade. The city bought the Roth Building in 2000 and later solicited proposals from potential tenants. The Palo Alto History Museum reached its first agreement with the city in 2007 and has been leasing the historic building since 2007 as it launched a fundraising effort and began planning for renovations.
The slow progress on the museum had flustered past council members, who on numerous occasions flirted with the idea of abandoning the project altogether and considering other uses for the Roth Building. In a bid to help with the fundraising, the council approved a year ago a “challenge grant” that required the nonprofit to raise $1.75 million within a year.
Bajuk told the Weekly that as of Dec. 15, the museum had received 362 gifts totaling $1,818,619. She was joined on Monday by about two dozen museum supporters who came to see the project advance. Steve Player, a member of the museum’s advisory board, thanked the city for its role in jump-starting the project.
“This is a museum that will make a big difference to the community,” Player said. “It’s going to be a legacy for the many people who have come before.”
The council had some debate over whether to leave the $665,000 “challenge grant” in place or whether to officially dedicate the money to the museum project. Ultimately, with the urging of Councilwoman Karen Holman, the council agreed to commit the funding to the museum, an action that Holman argued was consistent with the council’s 2017 action.
Mayor Liz Kniss called the recent progress “exciting” and lauded the museum for meeting the city’s challenge.
“I’m going to guess that most people now see it as reality,” Kniss said. “Once you see it as reality, it really takes you there.”
“The slow progress on the museum had flustered past council members, who on numerous occasions flirted with the idea of abandoning the project altogether and considering other uses for the Roth Building.”
Flirted, yes, until they realized they ain’t got any “other uses” for their impulse purchase. Without the museum they’re stuck with their useless white elephant.
Congrats and godspeed, museum.
Nice to see that Palo Alto History is being saved for future generations. Some may be surprised to learn that Palo Alto (and Mayfield) were around long before the tech industry even existed, and will still be here long after the tech industry has left.
This is such an important project for our community. The more you learn about Palo Alto/Mayfield/Stanford the more you understand we have been innovating and properous deep into our early days. In all sectors of life, health, tech, philanthropy, film….our area keeps asking “how can we do this differently,” or “how does this work?” The Museum will help knit the stories together, so we can celebrate our history, character and shared experiences that benifit our community and the world.
-Nancy Shepherd
Key correction to the article above… To date, the museum group has raised over $12 million, over 12 years. (Not eight.)
We are hugely grateful to the community members who have supported this project since its beginning, and have stepped up to ensure that it will happen! Council really put their money where their mouth was a year ago, for which we thank them – and we met that challenge. Their full support is invigorating.
We look forward to bringing you a world class community museum that shares the story of everyone here, over time, and how Palo Alto has been a world leader for a very very long time.
Tell your story at #IamPaloAlto, and ensure YOUR place in our history – http://www.paloaltomuseum.org.
Thank you!
Laura Bajuk, executive director
Palo Alto Museum
Thanks, Laura. Sorry for the error. I corrected it.
-Gennady
Thank you, Gennady! I appreciate the fast response.
Clearly there is no better use for $20,000,000 than for a history museum across the street from a history museum. 12 years to get 60% of the way there. Amazing! I’m sure costs won’t go up during the next decade of fund raising. Great job!
Congrats and thanks to Laura Bajuk for taking on the leadership of the History Museum and doing a great job.
Could someone summarize total cash collected over all 12 years,
total cash spent to date,
Total cash on hand,
and total pledge amount and conditions on the pledges?
— very supportive,
Warren Buffet Jr.
Thank goodness we have a community with multiple places and opportunities to enrich our lives – something for everyone, including those who like museums. And two of them on the same street? Sounds like a great way to spend the day.
Our neighbor across the street is the Museum of American Heritage. Their collection is national in scope, and reflects the history of industrial engineering and technology – things that were invented long before Silicon Valley ever existed.
The new Palo Alto History Museum will connect and tell the stories of the many people over time who have made this place what it is today, and how they have changed not only our local environs, but the world. (MOAH is one of many collaborating partners and organizations supporting the new Museum.)
Half of our $20M fundraising campaign supports the significant cost to rehabilitate a city-owned structure – mostly at our expense. The other half will create and operate the new Museum. Over 650 donors have invested in this effort so far.
While construction costs fluctuate, our board had the wisdom to engage in a not-to-exceed contract with long-time Palo Alto builder Vance Brown, Inc. which started here the same year the Roth was built – 1932. They just finished work on Avenidas (finishing three months early) and are building the new Jr Museum and Zoo.
… Yet another community partner committed to making Palo Alto the best it can be for generations to come. We members of the board, advisory board and staff – now and years past – are honored to work toward the same goal.
Is there available land and monetary resources in Palo Alto to recreate an Ohlone Indian village?
From an anthropological standpoint, this would be a very educational endeavor as the Ohlone culture was literally destroyed by Spanish, Mexican and American interests.
Back east there are a number of American colonial recreations with actors portraying the people of its time. The same can be said of Civil War recreations in various parts of the south and in Pennsylvania.
On the other hand, if the museum’s purpose is primarily focused on natural history then a park devoted to the dinosaurs and early mammals that inhabited the area would be informative and educational. In this way, perhaps early man could also be included into the mix.
It is somewhat unfortunate that the earliest historical reference to Palo Alto is centered around that pathetic-looking tree adjacent to the RR bride near Alma and ECR. It is my understanding that the Portola Expedition used it as a landmark for locating Palo Alto since the bridge hadn’t been built yet.
Surely Palo Alto can do better than this.
> Is there available land and monetary resources in Palo Alto to recreate an Ohlone Indian village?
>> Back east there are a number of American colonial recreations with actors portraying the people of its time.
Curious. Who are you going to get to portray the Ohlones? Most people of Ohlone descent have intermarried with the Spanish and Mexicans to the point where the blood % of actual Ohlone heritage has greatly diminished over the past centuries.
Are we going to go back to the Hollywood days of the 1940s and 1950s where Native American Indians were often played by Italians and Portuguese extras?
Seeing non-native Ohlone actors at a recreated Ohlone village would make Palo Alto the laughingstock of scholars and historians…especially if some of these Ohlones happened to look Nordic.
Or are we going to run with the Lee Strasberg school of Method Acting?
Seeing non-native Ohlone actors at a recreated Ohlone village would make Palo Alto the laughingstock of scholars and historians…especially if some of these Ohlones happened to look Nordic.
Then hire Chinese to play Ohlones and say they cross Bering Strait into Palo Alto.
“Could someone summarize total cash collected over all 12 years, total cash spent to date, Total cash on hand, and total pledge amount and conditions on the pledges?”
I’m sure they could, but why?
“…recreate an Ohlone Indian village?”
Yes. And along with the Chinese playing Ohlones, the concessions stands could sell acorn mush, SF Bay raised oysters on the half shell and abalone (if you can find one). Reed boats manned by pseudo-Ohlones could also transport visitors to the the village from SF and the East Bay.
Spanish explorers on horseback with their telescopes pointing to El Palo Alto (what’s left of it) would add a nice touch.
“And along with the Chinese playing Ohlones, the concessions stands could sell acorn mush, SF Bay raised oysters on the half shell and abalone (if you can find one).”
^^^^^The oysters might be potentially toxic given the industrial wastes that have been dumped into the SF Bay over the past decades. Then again, the bay is slowly recovering due to environmental laws.
How about something in the Palo Alto foothills? Not only a recreated Ohlone village but also a replica Spanish ranchero complete with caballeros and livestock?
It could become a California historical center for the entire bay area and would create a number of jobs for countless actors, cowboys, maintenance personnel, concession workers and guides.
A Palo Alto operated theme park with an educational focus and function.
Which PACC male member gets to play Leland Stanford in this Palo Alto historical recreation?
It would have to be some middle-aged man with a beard walking around saying, “Build here and build there.”
After all, Stanford was Palo Alto’s first great developer and history always has a way of repeating itself.
@Who gets To Play Leland Stanford?
> It would have to be some middle-aged man with a beard walking around saying, “Build here and build there.”
More jobs for Chinese actors too. They build railroad for Stanford.
In terms of who could play Leland Stanford…
“It would have to be some middle-aged man with a beard walking around saying, “Build here and build there.”
Perhaps the outgoing PA City Manger?
“Is there available land and monetary resources in Palo Alto to recreate an Ohlone Indian village?”
A seasonal low-cost PA housing alternative as well?
“A Palo Alto operated theme park with an educational focus and function.”
Why not? Proceeds could go towards funding the PA ‘infrastructure’.
QUOTE: Is there available land and monetary resources in Palo Alto to recreate an Ohlone Indian village?
Yes. But it will probably be a multi-unit housing development in Palo Alto called ‘Ohlone Village’.
Kind of has a nice ring to it…catchy & somewhat historical in reference.
The original inhabitants of this area (the actual Ohlones) would either be proud…or dismayed.
“Is there available land and monetary resources in Palo Alto to recreate an Ohlone Indian village?”
It could be put in place of the Roth building and count towards our low income housing goals.
Why is an abandoned building still standing decades later? Because some nostalgic city officials remember bicycling past it when they were kids? If it is not going to be refurbished, rented out and generating revenue, then it should be torn down, a kaen added, and be made part of the adjoining park.
I meant a lawn could be added.
Isn’t the Roth building earmarked as the future site of the Palo Alto History Museum?
I remember going to that place as a kid when it was a medical center. It’s another PA trademark building…one of those Spanish ‘revisionist’ designs by Birge Clark, ‘the father of Palo Alto architecture’.
An recreated Ohlone village would probably require more space than what is available at this particular site + it lacks a certain rustic quality. The Ohlones did not have cars and parking immediately near their villages.