Huntington Beach councilmembers have expressed support for moving the iconic Huntington Beach International Surfing Museum to the city’s Main Street branch library.
The City Council recently hosted a study session looking at the relocation. The museum’s executive director, Peter “PT” Townend, said the idea was floated when the city was hoping to be the LA28 Olympics surfing venue. Though the Olympians will be headed further south to Lower Trestles, the building on Oliver Avenue that has housed the museum since 1990 has outdated infrastructure, such as leaking ceilings, that could compromise collections, according to city staff.
And a move could help in drawing more visitors to revitalize the Main Street area on the upper blocks and give the museum a space with taller ceilings that could display large wooden surfboards used in the early days, supporters said.
It would also give needed space for the extensive collection of relics and memorabilia, officials said, such as historic documents, publications and surf culture artifacts currently not accessible to the public due to a lack of storage, cataloging capacity, and archival infrastructure.
Peter “PT” Townend, executive director of the Huntington Beach International Surfing Museum, at an exibit in 2022 showcasing the OP Pro. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)“Surfing is Huntington Beach. The Huntington Beach Main Street library is one of the most historic buildings here,” Councilmember Gracey Van Der Mark said during the recent discussions — the council made no decision. “If we can make this work, I think it’s a great opportunity to combine the two.”
The hope is still that a revitalized museum could be a draw for the millions of visitors to the region expected with the Olympics and the World Cup coming to the Los Angeles and Orange County area in coming years, Townend said.
“Now, it’s even more important that we upgrade the museum and the museum presence so we can attract some of the 30 million people who are going to be in Southern California for the Olympics,” he said. “Otherwise they will go somewhere else.”
Locating the museum in vacant areas of the library could also open the door to future collaboration with the nearby Huntington Beach Art Center, helping to establish “a cohesive cultural district along Main Street that highlights the city’s history and identity as an international surf destination,” city officials said.
The museum was founded by Natalie Kotsch, a Canadian who moved to Huntington Beach and fell in love with surf culture.
Kotsch, who died in 2014, dreamed of a place where people could see memorabilia and art, learn about surfing greats, and gather with others from around the world to celebrate the culture.
Through the years, there have been talks about moving the museum or finding a bigger, more prominent location. In 2002, there were high hopes to raise $6 million to move the museum to a 20,000-square-foot building along Pacific Coast Highway, but those plans never came to fruition.
The Main Street Library is a 9,475-square-foot, two-story building that could house the surf museum on its first floor in a 1,184-square-foot space, said Ashley Wysocki, director of community and library services for the city.
An area currently used for reading programs during the day could be turned into a special events space, fitting about 100 people.
Operational hours would be the same for both organizations and the cohabitation should allow for opportunities for educational collaboration, such as author talks and arts and culture classes.
In their report to councilmembers, city staff pointed out there could be some conflicts between the two uses of the spaces from foot traffic and noise levels, depending on activities going on. There also may need to be adjusted or expanded facility hours in peak season to accommodate weekend visitation.
There’s also limited parking, and increased visitation could strain existing supplies, especially during peak hours and events.
Increased foot traffic and use of the Main Street library may also generate additional maintenance needs.
A few community members voiced concerns during the study session, wondering who would pay for rent and insurance and about the impacts to library users who may want quiet reading rather than more foot traffic.
The move would cost an estimated $75,000, and there would be no use of city funds for the move, Wysocki said.
Visit Huntington Beach has indicated preliminary support and may assist in underwriting relocation and ongoing operational costs, pending further discussion.
“I look forward to making this happen, I’m really encouraged to see people collaborating and sharing ideas,” Van Der Mark said. “Even people who have concerns, we will take all the feedback and see what we can do to resolve the concerns.”
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