Museum of the City of San Francisco facts for kids

The Museum of the City of San Francisco is a special place that collects and shares old items from San Francisco. It's a non-profit group, which means it doesn't make money for owners. Instead, it uses any money it gets to help the museum grow. A woman named Gladys Hansen started it. She used to be the city's main record keeper, called the city archivist. Her son, Richard Hansen, is now in charge of the museum.

How the Museum Started

The Museum of the City of San Francisco began in 1991. Gladys Hansen created it after she retired. She had been the official record keeper for San Francisco for many years. In 1995, the city leaders, called the Board of Supervisors, officially recognized it. They said it was the city's official historical museum.

Early Exhibit Spaces

At first, the museum had a small space for its exhibits. This was at a place called The Cannery. The Cannery used to be a factory that canned fruit for Del Monte Foods. Later, it became a shopping center. The museum stayed there until the year 2000. After that, it had to move out because its lease ended.

For a while, the museum showed its collections in different places. It had temporary exhibits at Pier 45. This pier is close to Fisherman's Wharf, a famous spot in San Francisco. It also showed items at San Francisco City Hall, the main building for the city government.

Joining Forces and New Ideas

In February 2002, the Museum of the City of San Francisco joined with another group. This group was called the San Francisco Historical Society. Together, they formed a new organization. They named it the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society. The city government also recognized this new group. They said it was the official historical museum for San Francisco.

One big reason for joining forces was a special plan. They wanted to work together to fix up an old building. This building was the Old San Francisco Mint. It used to be a place where money was made. The idea was to turn it into a history museum. However, this plan did not work out in the end.

The Virtual Museum

Even after the groups joined, Gladys Hansen kept her own website. It was for the Museum of the City of San Francisco. In 2003, she changed its name. It became the Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco. This meant you could explore it online.

Gladys Hansen also kept her own special collection of items. These items were from the big 1906 San Francisco earthquake. This earthquake was a very important event in the city's history. In 2013, the Virtual Museum started working with another museum. This was the Bethlehem Shipyard Museum. They put on exhibits together. Some of the museum's items were also shown. You could see them at the San Francisco History Museum. This museum is near Union Square.

Name Changes

In 2019, the Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco changed its name again. It went back to its original name. It became the Museum of the City of San Francisco once more. This happened after the other group, the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society, also changed its name. They dropped "Museum" from their name. They went back to being just the San Francisco Historical Society.