Newport Beach Historical Society finally gets a place to call home
The Newport Beach Historical Society waited 49 years for a place to display artifacts that tell the story of the city, which dates to the early 1900s.
The Historical Society board, city staff members and Mayor Pro Tem Kevin Muldoon celebrated the grand opening of the organization’s room at the Balboa Branch Library with a ribbon cutting Monday.
“If you don’t have a location, you don’t have any evidence to show people about what you’re trying to preserve,” Historical Society board member Howard Hall said. “This is an important step for us.”
In the nearly half-century since its inception by late Newport Beach resident Bill Grundy, the society has helped preserve the history of Newport Beach by collecting photographs and stories written by locals that have been stored at members’ homes and are now featured on the society website, newportbeachhistorical.org.
The group also has been instrumental in placing historical markers throughout the city and presenting dinner lectures about local history.
Now, the group has launched a living-history program called Project HIStory, designed to include tales of Newport Beach residents. It also is looking to collect more documents, photographs, films and memorabilia, much of which will be displayed in the room at the library at 100 E. Balboa Blvd.
The room previously was home to the city’s nautical collection, which has been moved to the Central Library in Newport Center.
City Library Services Director Tim Hetherton said the Balboa library is an ideal spot for the organization to establish its presence and grow. As the library potentially remodels and expands in coming years, the Historical Society could take up a larger portion of the space, he said.
“We consider this part of Newport Beach to be home to the first official city library,” he said. “One goal of the library is to preserve local history, so the Historical Society is a nice addition here.”
Hall and his wife spent the past several weeks preparing the teal-painted room for its opening Monday, writing captions for framed historical photographs and sorting old newspaper clips from the now-defunct Balboa Beacon into white three-ring binders.
Burgees from each yacht club in Newport Beach are strung across the ceiling, and a television displays a slideshow of black and white photographs taken in town.
The organization recently was granted nonprofit status, enabling it to accept donations and other gifts from the community.
Board President Bernie Svalstad said he hopes the new location will provide a resource for the public to learn about Newport Beach.
“The history of Newport Beach is dynamic,” he said. “We have a great respect for the past and we are dedicated to recording the present as it reflects the past for future generations.”
Twitter: @HannahFryTCN
