REDWOOD CITY, CA — Nearly 3,000 people turned out Saturday as the San Mateo County History Museum unveiled a $25.5 million transformation featuring three major new attractions.
The grand opening marked the debut of the Taube Family Carriage House and Automobile Gallery, the HERO Natural History Gallery and the reopening of Lora Mundi, an 1863 historic house on the museum campus.
The new exhibits take visitors through different chapters of the Peninsula's past, from prehistoric animals and natural landscapes to horse-drawn carriages, automobiles and the Victorian era.
"Our story is one of waterfronts and railroads, agriculture and innovation, neighborhoods and businesses, and families and community leaders," said Redwood City Mayor Elmer Martinez Saballos during the opening ceremony. "And as Redwood City continues to grow and evolve, preserving connection to our past becomes that much more important."
The 15,000-square-foot Taube Family Carriage House and Automobile Gallery features a collection of historic carriages and automobiles, including carriages associated with the Filoli and Holbrook-Palmer estates. Its inaugural automobile exhibition traces 100 years of Ford Motor Co. history on the Peninsula, beginning with a 1926 Model T.
The 2,700-square-foot HERO Natural History Gallery explores the region's prehistoric landscapes and wildlife, including animals that lived here during the Ice Age.
Lora Mundi, also known as the Lathrop-Connor-Mansfield House, was built in 1863 and has been restored as part of the museum's expanded campus.
The museum, which typically welcomes about 60,000 visitors annually, expects attendance to grow with the additional exhibit space and expanded programming.
"Today, years of planning, fundraising, construction, restoration and the extraordinary movement of priceless historic objects have become something that belongs to the entire community," said Mitch Postel, president of the San Mateo County Historical Association.
The grand opening included a ribbon-cutting ceremony, interactive exhibits, craft stations and presentations on the Peninsula's transportation and natural history.
More information about the museum and its exhibits is available at historysmc.org.
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