Monday, Jun 12, 2006
SAN FRANCISCO MARITIME MUSEUM “GOES TO DRYDOCK” FOR RESTORATION. Last chance to view current exhibits during special evening events: Saturday, July 8 and Sunday, July 9, 2006, 10:00am-9:00pm (extended evening hours), 900 Beach Street, San Francisco
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park invites the public to attend free, special evening events at the park’s maritime museum. Park staff will present free, evening tours of the museum and demonstrations of ship radio equipment. This will be the last opportunity to enjoy the current exhibits and artifacts that have fascinated generations of local and international visitors for decades. The museum will be closing on July 10 for major renovations.
Through 67 years of driving winter rains, and salt-laden summer fogs, this ship-shaped building has been a landmark on the San Francisco waterfront. In 1951, the building opened as a maritime museum. Ever since, it has carried visitors on a journey back into the fascinating world of maritime history. On the main floor of the museum, you can marvel at exquisitely detailed ship models. Anchors and figureheads accompany you on your voyage. Visit the steamship room to discover how steam technology changed the transportation of people and cargo around the world. On the second floor, spectacular panoramas illustrate how the Gold Rush transformed San Francisco. Learn how the late 19th century maritime grain trade connected California to the rest of the world. On the top floor of the museum, the interactive exhibit “Sparks, Waves, and Wizards” introduces you to communication at sea.
The National Park Service (NPS) is working to preserve this “Palace for the Public” that was built by the Works Progress Administration from 1936-1939. The building is famous for Hilaire Hiler’s brightly colored murals that depict the submerged ruins of the fabled, lost continents of Mu and Atlantis. This NPS preservation project will repair the deteriorating roof and windows of this historic building and will restore the adjacent amphitheater that is also part of the Aquatic Park National Historic District.
The museum will reopen in approximately 2009 with new exhibits to interpret the maritime history of the Pacific Coast and the local history of Aquatic Park. Until then, visitors can still find much to explore at San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. The magnificent collection of historic ships at Hyde Street Pier, the park’s visitor center at Hyde and Jefferson Streets, and the J. Porter Shaw Library at Lower Fort Mason will transport you beyond the blue horizon. For more information about the park, or its public programs, please call 415-447-5000 or visit the park’s website at http://www.nps.gov/safr.
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