Editorial: History museum has earned county support

The Marin Board of Supervisors’ agreement with the Marin History Museum is a win-win.

It follows through on the commitment the county made when then-Supervisor Damon Connolly stepped in to help reorganize the longstanding institution whose membership was flagging and its leaders were quietly auctioning off pieces of its archives to cover the museum’s expenses.

The supervisors have approved a three-year $300,000 pact with the museum that will help cover its operating costs, but also will require the museum to create displays reflecting Marin’s history in the Marin Civic Center and other county buildings.

Those exhibits will bolster public access to the 90-year-old museum’s archives and Marin’s stories, adding to the exhibition space the museum now has at the Boyd Gate House in downtown San Rafael.

The county agreement mirrors a pact recently reached between the city of San Rafael and the museum, reducing its rent of the city-owned gate house to $1 per month in exchange for the museum taking over the building’s maintenance and its installation of exhibits at city hall and including at least one program per year on the city’s history during its speaker series.

The museum will also be creating content for brochures and waive archival fees for images used for civic projects.

At the same time, both agreements should help stabilize the museum’s finances, including its staffing.

For most of its own history, the museum has been supported by membership dues and donations.

It would take care of photos and items donated to the museum that was squeezed in the tiny gate house.

Its annual membership luncheon, when it would elect and install new leaders, was a “who’s who” gathering of Marin pioneer families.

That changed in the early 2000s, when the museum turned its attention to growth and opening a downtown museum dedicated to local rock ’n’ roll roots and legends.

The plan was to create an interactive exhibit of artifacts, memorabilia and concert footage showcasing the varied venues, studios, producers, rock artists and stars with Marin roots.

But costs of renovating leased space on Fourth Street outpaced its budget, the plan foundered, millions were spent and wasted and legacy support for the museum waned.

New leaders stepped in. Staffers were laid off and the museum was moved from the gate house, leaving only its archival offices in Novato.

It also generated criticism and further erosion of support when the museum’s leadership decided – without any public notice or involvement – to hire an out-of-county auction firm to select items from its archives and sell them.

The storm of controversy led to Connolly and then-Mayor Gary Phillips to call for resignations and a reorganization of the museum’s board.

Rebuilding the organization has been slow, but the museum reopened its archival office, returned to the gate house and resumed hosting special exhibits.

While Marin has a host of local museums, the Marin History Museum is a little different with its countywide focus as well as serving as the local museum for San Rafael. That dual role – and its strong leadership – has helped it rebuild its membership.

The agreements with the city and the county not only helps preserve the museum’s collection – more than 20,000 artifacts and 200,000 historical photographs – but it will expand public access to them.

As it expands its presence and sharing of the museum’s collection, perhaps help from the county can also foster greater collaboration with Marin’s other local museums –  such as Novato’s Marin Museum of the American Indian, the Belvedere-Tiburon Landmarks Society and the county’s Anne T. Kent California Room – and combining their collections for its county exhibits.

Supervisor Mary Sackett framed the county’s commitment: “It will help ensure that future exhibits reflect the diverse experience and voices of all who have shaped Marin.”

For the public, the county agreement furthers the preservation of Marin’s cultural and historical resources and shares it with more people, including young people learning about their communities.