California Automobile Museum

California Automobile Museum is an automobile museum located in Sacramento, California. It has a collection of over 150 classic cars, race cars, muscle cars and early models displayed throughout 72,000 square feet (6,700 m2) of museum space. The mission of the California Automobile Museum is to preserve, exhibit, and teach the story of the automobile and its influence on our lives.[3]

California Automobile Museum (2008–present)
Former namesTowe Ford Museum (1987–1997), Towe Auto Museum (1997–2008)[1]
General information
StatusOperational
TypeMuseum
Architectural styleWarehouse
LocationOld Sacramento
Address2200 Front Street
Town or citySacramento, CA 95818-1106
CountryUnited States of America
Coordinates38.5703872°N 121.5117473°W / 38.5703872; -121.5117473
Current tenantsCalifornia Automobile Museum
GroundbreakingJune 1986 [1]
CompletedSeptember 27, 1986 [1]
OpenedMay 1, 1987 [1]
OwnerCity of Sacramento[2]
LandlordCity of Sacramento[2]
Technical details
Floor count1
Floor area72,000 square feet (6,700 m2)
Other information
ParkingFree
Website
http://www.calautomuseum.org/
Old trucks in California Automobile Museum
1960 Studebacker Champ in California Automobile Museum

The California Automobile Museum was the first automobile museum in the west to be established in perpetuity.[4] Founded in 1983 as the California Vehicle Foundation, the museum opened to the public in 1987 as the Towe Ford Museum, displaying the largest collection of Fords in the world, courtesy of Edward Towe, a Montana banker.[5] Delta Pick Mello is the executive director of the museum.[6]

The first auto to be donated to the California Automobile Museum was a restored 1938 Buick sedan, a gift from John Joyce, president of the Golden One Credit Union, which is still on display at the museum.[7] In 1997, the museum was renamed the Towe Auto Museum, as they began displaying vehicles of all makes and models. In 2009, the Board of Directors officially changed the name of the museum to the California Automobile Museum, reflecting the expanded mission it has grown into over the last 25 years.

Exhibits and attractions

Most of the 150 vehicles currently on display are on loan from private exhibitors. The cars on display represent a cross-section of cars driven in California over the last 120 years.[8] Approximately 40% of the vehicles are owned by the California Vehicle Foundation. The rest are on loan from private exhibitors, and display terms vary from vehicle to vehicle, so the display is a constantly changing exhibit of rolling stock to better tell the story of the development of the automobile and its effect on our lives. The museum offers tours daily.[9] The museum regularly hosts special exhibitions, including one on pickup trucks in 2016.[10]

References
  1. "California Automobile Museum - History". California Automobile Museum. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
  2. "Building History". HTML Document. California Automobile Museum. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
  3. "About Us". HTML Document. California Automobile Museum.
  4. "How the Museum Got Started". HTML Document. California Automobile Museum. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
  5. "Edward Towe attends Founders' Day at California Automobile Museum". Valley Community News. October 11, 2012. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  6. "California Automobile Museum names new executive director". Sacramento Bee. December 31, 2015. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  7. "First Donated Vehicle". HTML Document. California Automobile Museum. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
  8. "Permanent Collections: California Automobile Museum". California Automobile Museum. Archived from the original on 6 March 2014. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
  9. "Tours: California Automobile Museum". California Automobile Museum. Archived from the original on 6 March 2014. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
  10. Glover, Mark (August 25, 2016). "California Automobile Museum celebrates pickup exhibit with tailgate party". Sacramento Bee. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
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