Museum closes deal, will move to Balboa Fun Zone

It’s official, museum director says. Peninsula site changes hands, but much will remain.The Newport Harbor Nautical Museum is the new owner of the Balboa Fun Zone, museum executive director David Muller said. Muller said he learned the buy had been officially recorded at 5:45 p.m. Thursday.

“One major thing is off our plate, and a remarkable number of small things are on our plate,” Muller said.

The conclusion of the deal to buy Balboa Fun Zone from Balboa Fun Zone Rides Inc. clears the way for nautical museum operators to plan both the eventual move and long-term future for the museum.

Balboa Fun Zone Rides Inc. president Joe Tunstall said he expects to receive payment today. The purchase price was not disclosed.

As museum officials get ready to work on moving the museum from Pride of Newport, a riverboat in Newport Harbor, some in the Balboa Village community said they looked forward to the museum moving to their neighborhood.

“It will help basically to bring new people to the area, and the museum always attracts a lot of families,” said Leo Gugasian, who recently purchased the Balboa Pavilion.

Operators of the Newport Beach Nautical Museum opened an escrow account in March to buy Balboa Fun Zone’s real estate from Balboa Fun Zone Rides Inc.

The museum could have a physical presence in Balboa Village by mid-2006, Muller said. Once the museum is in its new locale, Muller would like to provide museum visitors with exhibits that incorporate technology and interactivity. He said its dynamic exhibits are necessary to attract visitors.

“The average attention span is let’s say, 30 seconds, and we need to keep people engaged,” Muller said.

As a part of Balboa Village, Muller said the museum would have the potential to become part of a “quadrant” with other Balboa attractions like the Balboa Pavilion, the Balboa Performing Arts Theater and the Balboa Inn. He envisions those four institutions creating a synergy that could benefit other Balboa businesses.

“You put all these together and in the center you revitalize restaurants, cafes and galleries,” Muller said. “Suddenly, you’ve got a vibrant community.”

The Balboa Performing Arts Theater is on pace to open in 2008, Balboa Performing Arts Theater Foundation director of marketing and development Christopher Trela said. Trela agreed that the museum and the theater, once it opens, could bring visitors to Balboa Village year-round. Currently, the area tends to draw crowds during the summer but quiets down for the rest of the year.

“The rest of the year, we need people down here,” Trela said. “They can go down to see a show and go to the museum and go to dinner.”

Balboa Fun Zone has been part of Balboa since 1936 and will not disappear completely as a result of the deal. Though the museum could end up occupying space now occupied by many attractions, the deal gives Tunstall’s company a 30-year lease to operate the Ferris wheel. Balboa Fun Zone Rides has year-to-year leases to run the merry-go-round and other attractions.

20051230hkib4fkfKENT TREPTOW / DAILY PILOT(LA)Crowds of people stroll by Balboa Fun Zone on a warm summer evening.