Museum of the San Fernando Valley
Northridge
January 3, 2015
A brand new museum in the San Fernando Valley, near where Margaret lives? We are so there! We read about this museum in the Los Angeles Times, which ran an article when the museum opened in December.
The museum is in an office building, at 18860 Nordhoff Street in Northridge, in a relatively small suite on the second floor. Although it is not large, it is well laid out, and the exhibits are well labeled. The docents were friendly and very well-informed. There were three volunteers working the museum, basically one per room, and they were all enthusiastic. We think this museum has the highest docent per square foot ratio we have seen.
The World War II room has a corner devoted to the remarkable ace pilot Clyde East, including a piece from the fuselage of his fighter plane “Lil Margaret.” A QR code on the wall gave us a link to an extensive video about him. Clyde retired to the Valley after a long and distinguished career in the military and just passed away within the last year. Museum volunteer Art Sherman was on duty and showed us around that room, explaining all the items on display, including items he had donated to the museum from his time in the Army Air Force, as a bombardier and intelligence officer. Among various items in the room are interesting photos of the camouflaging on the Lockheed facility, several aerial maps, and photos of the “Wings over Wendy’s” veterans group which meets in West Hills.
Another room features photos and artifacts provided by the Westmore family, leading make up and hair design artists in Hollywood for many years. Other walls feature photos taken by leading photographers Leigh Wiener and George Hurrell, historical photos from the Valley News, and architectural photos of noted Valley buildings, both old and modern.
The final room is devoted to art created by Valley artists, most notably sculptor Henry Van Wolf.
The museum organization has existed for about a decade, but this is their first opportunity to display their collection in space of their own. They have done an excellent job. Admission is free, but donations are gratefully accepted. The museum is currently only open three days a week.
Wheelchair accessibility was fine, with an elevator up to the second floor. Parking was ample and free, at least on the Saturday we visited.
The website needs a little updating; it appears to date from before the opening, when the “museum” was just an organization with a collection but no site to display it. Hopefully the website will be updated soon, to reflect the recent opening and give potential visitors easier access to practical information like opening times.
We had lunch at Maria’s Italian Kitchen in Northridge before going to the museum. We have eaten there before, and other family members like it, too. Food and service were both excellent. Margaret had a chicken panini; Bob had a meatball sandwich; and Meredith had a salad. We were all pleased with our food.
Over lunch we filled Margaret in on family business. She was sorry to hear of her older sister’s recent hospitalization, and we helped her write a get well card.