CHP Museum-Behind the Scenes

Behind the scenes

I like those behind-the-scenes shows. The ones where they go into the back rooms of the museums or the factory and show what goes into the making of the wonderful displays out front. Okay, no, this is boring stuff, but it is an essential part of having the contents of a museum on display. I’m talking about the exciting world of a storage space.

Originally, there was a small space behind a false wall in the CHP Museum itself. When we put in the Newhall exhibit, we took out that wall and increased the floor space considerably. The contents of the storage area were moved by a group of volunteers to a temporary building located between the range and EVOC. The space was tight, crowded and had marginal temperature control. Recently we were told that, for fire safety reasons, that building would have to be removed. Budget-wise, things run pretty tight as it is and the thought of coming up with a new location was a huge problem. Could we afford to build a new, climate-controlled building? Could we find space to even put one in?

APB Article Rick Mattos, Chair, CHP Museum