The future of Phoenix’s only history museum is unknown after redesign plans of Margaret T. Hance Park left the Phoenix Trolley Museum, which has been a part of Phoenix and the park since the late 1970s, without a lease renewal.
The museum is now faced with the need to relocate or close its doors permanently — a situation its board of directors hopes to avoid.
“It doesn’t just tell you about streetcars. It tells you about Phoenix and how it grew, and a history museum is not something we have right now,” said Robert Graham, a Phoenix Trolley Museum board member.
For now, the board of directors is seeking a barn or structure where they can keep a historic trolley car as well as a small museum building, though there is currently no concrete potential. They are also considering building a structure, said Ernie Workman, the president of the Phoenix Trolley Museum.
The museum’s board of directors has submitted a request with the city of Phoenix for more time on their current lease in order to help establish a new home for their railcar and museum.
The museum’s lease with the city of Phoenix is due to end in September, though a request has been submitted for an additional 2 1/2 years. The city has not yet come to a decision on that request, said Michelle Dodds, a historic preservation officer for the city of Phoenix.
“I think the Hance Park Conservancy was looking for more active uses on the park,” Dodds said. “The (Phoenix Trolley Museum) didn’t fit the vision of the area.”
The museum’s average annual visitors numbered around 300, Dodds said.
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If the museum closes, the historic railcar in its possession will be donated to another museum, most likely the Arizona Railway Museum in Chandler.
“We’re trying to avoid that, and we’re trying to stay alive as a museum,” Graham said.
Despite the uncertainty of the museum’s fate, Workman remains optimistic.
“The push to relocate will eventually be beneficial for us,” Workman said.
The move could give the museum the ability to make improvements and become more visible, he said, a sentiment Graham echoed.
“We’re trying to see this as an opportunity to have a higher profile because a lot of people don’t even know about us,” Graham said.
Their wish list for the new location includes having a proper track. The museum also wants to fix the railcar, which is currently not able to move, so it will be able to run again.
“Right now, we’re really working on fundraising,” Workman said. “We need to get an active marketing plan in mind, but we don’t specifically know what we’re going to do yet.”
The museum plans on bringing in new board members to help with fundraising. They hope to attract active community members who care about historic preservation, Graham said. The election of new board members will be at their annual meeting on March 5.
From mid-March to April, there will be a series of two or three public meetings to gather information and ideas from the community.
“The idea is to try to involve the public more in the envisioning of the museum and make it something people are really excited about,” Graham said.
More information on how to become a board member, donate or learn about the museum can be found on the museum’s website.
For now, the museum is open Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., from the first Saturday in October to the first Saturday in May.
Contact the reporter at Kara.Carlson@asu.edu
