The Half Moon Bay Coastside History Museum The Coastside History Museum in the Jail at 505 Johnston St. is currently open weekends from 11am-3pm. We are also open during Make it Main Thursday evenings, and some days mid week when docents are available. Our new museum will open in late June 2023 with a combination of new and old exhibits.
The Half Moon Bay Coastside History Museum has two components – the old city jail and the barn (a garage built circa 1926 to maintain Sheriff’s vehicles).
In June 2018, the Half Moon Bay History Association opened a small museum in the old city jail. A visit to this historic structure may surprise visitors with the amount of interesting artifacts and information packed into the building.
The Half Moon Bay History Association has begun construction of the museum behind the old jail (current museum) at 503 Johnston Street.
A new interior will be built inside the old garage (“barn”) structure, while keeping the original historic exterior and most of the structural components of the 1926 building, as well as the newer foundation.
Construction is expected to complete in December 2021. The new museum will meet LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards, and will include solar panels and LED lighting.
Exhibits will include both interactive exhibits and displays of artifacts about all things historical on the Half Moon Bay Coastside.
Ground Breaking Ceremony July 2021.
Half Moon Bay History Association’s ~ Our New Coastside Museum is now Framed
NEWSLETTER. From the Half Moon Bay History Association Autumn 2021 newsletter ~ “Coastside Chronicles”.
We have exciting updates for you this month. Our local contractor, Jamie Verdura, began the challenge of building our beautiful new museum out of the historic barn/garage in July, and has made significant progress. His team has found some great examples of older construction nails, and we look forward to displaying them in the museum in 2021. We are very grateful to Jamie for his dedication to preserving as much of the original material and appearance as possible in our new state-of-the-art museum.
In addition to using recycled wood where possible, the new museum will feature green technology that includes solar panels to provide all power.
We were fortunate to receive a donation of commemorative coins of the Ocean Shore Railroad from Linda and Peter Kroosz. The Education Team plans to show them to third-grade classes when COVID-19 restrictions allow, to encourage discussion of our Coastside transportation history.
Our wonderful docents are back at work keeping the jail museum open. We’re open Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 2p.m.—longer, if docents are available. We’re also open the first Thursday of each month from 4 to 6p.m (through November), as part of the monthly Make It Main Street event.
We look forward to more progress through 2021.
Half Moon Bay History Association Reaches Major Milestone: New Museum Construction Begins
PRESS RELEASE.
April 19, Half Moon Bay, California. The Half Moon Bay History Association (HMBHA) has received all permits to begin construction of a state-of-the-art museum behind the old town jail at 503 Johnston Street.
The land, leased from the City of Half Moon Bay, includes a large building with century-old origins. An entirely new building will be built inside the old structure, while keeping the original historic exterior. Construction will begin immediately, and is expected to last twelve months. The new museum will meet LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards, and will include solar panels and LED lighting.
HMBHA has secured an agreement with Weldon Exhibits, the Bay Area’s nationally renowned designers and fabricators of museum exhibits. Weldon will work closely with HMBHA to create static and interactive experiences about all things historical on the Half Moon Bay Coastside. Weldon will construct exhibits offsite while the new museum is being built.
News and updates will be posted on the History Association’s website: halfmoonbayhistory.org.
For more information, please contact:
Dave Olson
Museum Project Manager, HMB History Association
650.387.3618 mobile
[email protected]
Communications Manager, HMB History Association
650.554.8467 mobile
[email protected]