Randall Museum facts for kids
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Entrance to the Randall Museum in Corona Heights
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| Established | 1937; relocated in 1951 |
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| Location | 199 Museum Way San Francisco, California, US |
| Type | Science, art, crafts, and natural history |
| Visitors | 80,000 (2003) |
The Randall Museum is a super cool place in San Francisco, California. It's run by the city's Recreation & Parks Department, with help from a group called Randall Friends. This museum is all about science, nature, and art!
When you visit, you can see live animals that are native to the area. There are also fun, hands-on exhibits about nature. The museum has a theater, a wood shop, and even studios for art and pottery. It's a great spot to learn and get creative!
The museum's main home is in Corona Heights Park. This park is on a big hill between the Castro and Haight-Ashbury neighborhoods. From Corona Heights, you get amazing views of the city, the downtown area, and the beautiful San Francisco Bay.
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Discovering the Randall Museum's History
The Randall Museum first opened in 1937. Back then, it was called the "Junior Museum." It was located in an old city jail building. This building is now part of the City College of San Francisco campus.
In 1947, the city decided to build new parks and recreation spots. A big fund was set up, and a new museum was part of the plan. So, in 1951, the museum moved to its current location. The new building was designed by William Merchant. It had exhibits, a theater, classrooms, and art studios. There was even a room for live animals and gardens with views of the San Francisco Bay.
The museum was officially named the 'Josephine D. Randall Junior Museum' on September 23, 1951. This was to honor its founder, Josephine D. Randall.
How the Museum's Home Was Chosen
Josephine Randall first explored Corona Heights in 1928. Before the museum was built there, the area was used as a rock quarry. This quarry was active until the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. After the earthquake, the kilns (ovens) on the hill exploded and fell apart. The quarries were then left empty.
Exciting Renovations and Updates
In 2003, the museum opened its Outdoor Learning Environment. This new area replaced an old parking lot. It gave visitors more space to learn outside.
From 2004 to 2006, some sculptures by Beniamino Bufano were displayed at the Randall Museum. They were moved there temporarily while their usual home was being rebuilt.
Big plans for a $6 million makeover were announced in 2013. The goal was to double the space for exhibits and programs. The museum closed its Corona Heights location on June 1, 2015, to start these renovations. While the main building was being updated, the live animals and programs moved to a temporary spot at the Mission Art Center.
The museum had a grand reopening for its newly remodeled space on February 11, 2018. Mister G, a children's performer, played live music at the event.
Who Was Josephine D. Randall?
The Randall Museum is named after Josephine Dows Randall. She earned a master's degree in zoology from Stanford University in 1913. After college, she traveled and helped start one of the first Girl Scout troops in the United States. She also helped create one of the first Camp Fire Girls troops.
When she came back to California, she became the first Superintendent of Recreation for San Francisco's Recreation Department. She created the Junior Museum. Josephine Randall helped the San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department become famous across the country for its great services. This was between 1926 and 1952. During her time as Superintendent, she made sure hundreds of acres of open space became playgrounds. This led to many sports and art programs for kids and families in San Francisco.
What You Can Do at the Museum
The Randall Museum is free to enter! It offers many fun things to do. You can find events, workshops, plays, lectures, and classes. These are for all ages, from 3-year-olds to adults. But the museum is especially great for kids and school field trips.
You can take classes in the wood shop, technology lab, art room, and pottery studio. The museum also has special themed days. These include Bug Day, a Middle School Science Fair, Family Halloween Day, and Winter Crafts Day. Different clubs and sponsors join in these fun events.
Theater and Model Trains
The museum's theater is home to the Young People's Teen Musical Theatre Company. This is a program from the Recreation and Parks Department that works closely with the museum.
The Golden Gate Model Rail Road Club (GGMRC) has been at the museum since 1961. They have a cool model train setup in the basement. On "Junior Engineer Day," which happens every other month, kids can run HO-scale trains around the tracks. Before the 2015–2018 renovation, the train tracks were over 600 feet long!
Art at the Museum
In 2012, an artist named Charles Sowers created "Windswept." This is a moving sculpture installed on the outside of the Randall Museum. It took him four years to create and test it.
During the 2015–2018 renovation, another artist, Ben Trautman, created a mobile sculpture. It's a stylish bird called "Wingspan." You can see it hanging in the museum's lobby.
See also
